About the artist

HOMETOWN

I grew up in the Pennsylvania steel town of North Braddock, in the Monongahela River Valley near Pittsburgh.  The hillsides of Western Pennsylvania have much to offer an aspiring artist: high vantage points, ever-changing perspectives, and distances flattened into cardboard-like cutouts by the smoggy industrial atmosphere. 

EARLY exposure

I've loved drawing as long as I can remember. 
At the age of ten, I gave up watching Saturday morning cartoons to attend free art class at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh. There, I learned the fundamentals of drawing, sketched in the museum's collection, and was exposed to art and culture far beyond my hometown. The drawing class led to a painting class for teens, and I've been painting ever since.

working and painting

I directed my love of art and design to a career as an advertising art director and professional illustrator. 

the seven lively artists

Upon moving to Central Pennsylvania, I met some members of an established local painting group, The Seven Lively Artists, established in 1956! With this great bunch of guys, I've been fortunate to paint on Cape Cod, Monhegan Island, Maine, and the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay, We've had exhibitions at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, the Cape Cod Museum of Art, and the Cumberland County Historical Society, as well as the Art Association of Harrisburg, the Art Center School and Galleries in Mechanicsburg, the Carlisle Arts Learning Center and several other venues in Central Pennsylvania.

inspiration

Whatever the subject, my work finds inspiration in the relationships of colors and shapes. I have a particular fondness for painting trees. Like us, they stand upright, their roots searching for a stable foothold, their branches surviving hard times while reaching out to grow. To me, a tree's scarred trunk and twisting branches exemplify the determination and striving of life itself.

teaching

Sharing what I’ve learned about art has become my personal mission. I've taught classes in oil painting for local art clubs and digital illustration at the college level.

other work, galleries

I’ve accepted commissions for paintings, commercial and editorial illustrations, as well as interior murals. Over thirty theatre seasons, I created original poster artwork for nearly 90 plays produced by Open Stage of Harrisburg.

EDUCATION

BS, Graphic Design, LaRoche College
Pittsburgh, PA

MBA, Lebanon Valley College
Annville, PA