I was born in St. James, Long Island, New York in 1951. I studied still-life and landscape painting with Paul Russotto before moving to Europe, where I studied and worked as a musician and artist. Returning to the USA, my focus moved towards figure painting and drawing. This new passion was pursued in Connecticut at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts with Dan Gheno and Deane Keller, followed by more study in New York at the National Academy of Design with Mary Beth McKenzie and, at The Art Students League with Harvey Dinnerstein.
In 1997 I joined the Visual Arts Studio Program at Snug Harbor Cultural Center Staten Island, NY. Here I began my first serious works, hiring models for figure projects, painting portraits from life, and experimenting with different mediums such as pastel, printmaking, and sculpture.
Aside from the on-going figure projects, I painted a series of plein-air landscapes, most often inspired by Snug Harbor’s magnificent architecture, gardens, trees, and extraordinary waterfront.
In 2006 I relocated to Manhattan and joined the New York Artists and Residency Studios Foundation (NARS) in Brooklyn, NY. The new location, new community of artists, and large studio space brought on new project ideas. A proposal for a project entitled "Figure in Motion" was accepted for a sponsorship by the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). Charcoal scroll drawings and 13 door sized panel paintings were exhibited with performance in Manhattan and Staten Island. The models and performers came to me from Laurie's De Vito's dance company and the figure movements were inspired by De Vito's choreography. The project has an interdisciplinary emphasis and is still on going as are De Vito's performances. A combinations of media projection and theater performance are yet to be explored.
In 2007 I joined the faculty at Wagner College. Here I teach various classes such as painting and drawing, color, and design, looking at and making art. I also teach painting and drawing at the Summer Studio Scholarship Program (SSSP) at the Snug Harbor Art Lab on Staten Island; and teach privately for teens and young adults preparing portfolio works for school and college entry.
Over the years studio rents tripled in Brooklyn. After searching the five boroughs, I finally settled with a beautiful working space at my original studio location at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens. Surrounded by beautiful Snug Harbor park grounds, I continue to pursue various figure and nature projects.
I have participated in various group shows in the tristate area, my solo exhibitions include Art Lab Gallery, NY: Recent Works; Soho20 Gallery, NYC: people and context; The Edward Williams Gallery, Fairleigh Dickinson University, NJ: Antr' Acte; The Staten Island Museum, NYC, FERRY; Wagner College Union Gallery, Staten Island NYC: Portrait and Figure
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