Art has been part of my life since childhood. In grammar school my best grades were consistently in art. In high school, I signed up for all the available art classes. After high school, I attended Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, New York. My major was Liberal Arts, and again I signed up for all the art classes.
At this point making art didn't seem a viable way to spend a life, never mind making a living. It certainly wasn’t within the realm of possibility to either of my parents. Since it wasn't clear to me what to do next I spent the next several years foundering. This included a stint in the Navy.
A move to Tucson Arizona in 1968, and a subsequent decision to return to College at the University of Arizona proved momentous. During the next decade, I immersed myself in learning to draw and paint. With the help and encouragement of my teachers Douglas Denniston, Bruce McGrew and Joseph O’Sickey I made rapid progress. At the end of this period, I had graduated from college, earned a BFA from the University of Arizona and an MFA from Kent State. I also returned to New York, where I’ve lived ever since.
My early work was based on direct observation. This has not changed. What has changed is my intent. During my student years and for some time following, my objective was to draw or paint what I saw as accurately as possible. In the last several years, my intent has evolved to focus on marks and abstract shapes and rhythms. Painting has become more about organizing space than about description. In this context color has assumed the function of transmitting light and defining space. I think of my painting as looking backward to the tradition, while looking forward to contemporary abstraction.
Aside from my teachers there have been many painters I’ve studied and been influenced by over the years. One of my perennial favorites is Rembrandt. In contemporary art, Fairfield Porter and Lois Dodd have vindicated my commitment to painting the world around me. Nineteenth Century French painting is, to me, one of the most remarkable periods in painting history. In an era rich with prominent painters, Matisse and Cezanne currently top my list. In the past few years, I’ve become increasingly interested in the teachings of Hans Hoffman. His ideas have had an effect on my painting as well as my thinking about painting.