I am primarily a self-taught painter but I
was fortunate to have had some formal art training at the Art Students League of New York,
followed by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. It was never a question
as to what I would do for a living. I have always known that I would be a
painter. Prior to my professional career, I made money doing chalk murals
on the sidewalks of numerous cities internationally. This experience made
me stronger and it gave me the courage to try new things without emotional
barriers.
I have been
painting professionally for nearly 20 years now. Currently, my work hangs in collections worldwide and I have exhibited in galleries nationally. Although it is a challenge to be a self-supporting artist and an only parent to my son Dalton
(who is now 16), I have developed an insatiable drive to survive on my
craft. My paintings have gone through many phases, from still-lifes, landscapes, figurative, villages and now urban landscapes and although there has been a market for all my work, I enjoy my current focus the most.
My Urban
Landscape Paintings began back in 1997, in California.
I painted House Portraits from the curb which home-owners would commission me to
do. This led to commercial work and to doing architectural renderings for
developers & builders. Once I applied the technical skills which I
acquired from the renderings along with my fine art painting skills, the result
was a vibrant, painterly adaptation of a city street or an architectural
composition.
In search of a family
friendly community that would be supportive of my art, I chose to move to the Knoxville area in
2006.The streets of Knoxville are filled with the remnants of the
old architecture and its attributes form a unique and appealing character that
has been my muse since I arrived. I am now working on adjacent cities such as Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, etc. These will be added to my website as I complete a collection.
I currently paint
from my studio in Maryville
which is open to the public by appointment. I typically have several
original paintings in progress at once, along with numerous other artistic
endeavors. All of my current work is available as fine art prints which
are reproduced in the studio (either matted or on stretched canvas). I
build all my own stretchers and I stretch each canvas by hand and I do my own
matting & framing. I am very concerned with the archival quality and
the integrity of each piece so I always use the best materials available to me.
Many visitors to the studio find the process fascinating and have the
opportunity to see my most recent paintings.
Although my studio is the best place to see a complete collection of my work, other local venues include the Rossini Festival and the Market Square Art Fair which both take place in April. Additionally, work may also be purchased at the Knoxville Museum of Art Gift Shop and you can find me at the 2010 Home & Garden Show (Feb. 19,20,21). My website remains current with new works and I take orders over the phone for prints which can be custom sized to suit. Pricing can be obtained by contacting me directly. I can also be commissioned to create a custom work of art especially for you or your business.