Bio

My initial art interest began at Pen Argyl High School in Pen Argyl, PA where famed local artist Bob Doney served as an inspiration to my career. Other local artists who influenced me were Peter Heiden, Joe DeThomas, Tom Heilman, and Carol Ayers.

My formal education was obtained at Kutztown University. I hold a B.S. in Art Education. I am currently retired, after teaching for 35 years at White Township Consolidated School in New Jersey.

I love to travel the local countryside. I capture the realm of secluded beauty reflecting the character and sentiment of the land and its people. A weather beaten barn, deteriorating stone bridge, rusted tractor or other overlooked or unused implements of fading Americana is captured by me before it becomes a memory of the past.

I often borrow elements from different country scenes and skillfully reconstruct them in watercolor and acrylic paints. My realistic approach attracts the viewer to feel the abstraction and enigmatic use of light and shadow.

With watercolor as a medium I prefer to work as a purist who allows only the unused portion of the paper to serve as the only white allowed in the painting. This method can be tedious but allows for a clear crisp painting style that encourages a 3-Dimensional quality in my work. With acrylic painting I prefer to work in a series of over-glazes of color to produce a more detailed and realistic approach with the medium.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey are beautiful states with the Pocono Mountains and surrounding area being the most satisfying to my palette. Painting the local scenery creates memories of this area before it becomes absorbed into a more urban setting. I also have a great interest in the beautiful architecture of our area, especially with the preservation of the many historical homes and buildings.

Statue restoration has also been a lost art that I enjoy. I have restored many statues of various sizes over the past 25 years.