Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators

I can not remember a time that art did not dominate my being.  When I am not drawing, I am dreaming of
drawing.  I was born in Huntington, New York. I grew up on Long Island and attended both SUNY
Potsdam and SUNY Stony Brook where I barely studied art at all. I am largely self taught and thankfully learning everyday. When in elementary school, I discovered that I was dyslexic and realized that my visual learning style enhanced my educational abilities. During the next two decades I spent many years in Colorado where I enriched my skills, taught in my home studio and gave local seminars.

I have always been a very traditional realist and am motivated by the work of Caravaggio, Durer and Rembrandt. I prefer dramatic contrast and emotional composition. The control I possess with a pencil in my
graphite portraiture is my greatest asset and portraits are my passion. In particular, I sometimes get lost in
the depth and detail of my subject’s eyes and forget to move on to the rest of the face. When I create,
whatever the medium, I try to tell a story by capturing that minute in time. I want the viewer to be able to see
what their senses should feel - serenity, sadness, fear, elation and so much more. 

I moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2016. I am a member of the Portrait Society of America, the
Pittsburgh Society of Artists, The Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators, Pittsburgh Pastel Artists League and
the Cranberry Artist Network. I have exhibited at Namacolin Woodlands Resort (PA), Christine
Frechard Gallery (PA), Gallery 5280 (CO) and Christopher Gallery (NY).   When not working in
my studio, I can be found outside feverishly smashing tennis balls into the net on the tennis court.