Back story

I was first influenced by my parents’ love of bright colors. Our family home at one point had purple walls and orange chairs and brilliant accent pieces. My father was an extremely talented professional photographer, and he taught me how to compose a picture to capture a moment in time. To tell a story in a single frame. Drawing became second nature to me, and I was encouraged by my parents to be creative. After high school, I was fortunate enough to attend
York Academy of Art and Philadelphia College of Art.

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Inspiration

After graduation I switched medium, choosing a camera over the paintbrush and I developed my talents as an award-winning newspaper photojournalist and later a commercial photographer specializing in advertising and weddings. After years of gathering reference material, I transitioned back to my roots. A lot of my inspiration is based on my photojournalism background. My art is born out of how I visualize things on my travels as well as in my day-to-day routines. I take a lot of photos of places I go, cloud formations, how light hits a building, reflections, and all sorts of images. My own photography is my best reference material and I shy away from painting based on others’ photos. I mentally group the separate images into one central illustration. The magic develops in between the various photos I shot and the scene that develops on the canvas. I want people to be able to see the work of art come alive as if they were there.

Technique and Plan of attack

My technique of starting with an underpainting stems from many years in the dark room. I treat my art as a black and white negative and then layer on colors as if watching the composition develop in front of me. I definitely start each piece with a strong plan. I tend to be so impatient that I paint in my mind often before the canvas is even prepped. I work almost entirely in acrylics as I have no patience for oils. Acrylics allow me to work faster. I have recently started experimenting with watercolors, however, and that has re-taught me some lessons on brush control. In the end, the painting decides how it will evolve and what medium I will use. Sadly, not all have a happy ending.

Take Away

I want people to feel emotion when looking at my work. I want people to understand that behind each finished work, there is an artist that experienced the scene firsthand. I want people to feel they are part of the painting. Perhaps it is my grasp of immortality. When I am gone, part of me will remain and hopefully be cherished and each scene can be relived.