ARTIST STATEMENT
I’m a realist painter. The people, places and things in my work are all recognizable, but are combined in a compelling and personal way. I’m keenly aware of the abstract elements of light, color, composition and design, but it is also important that my paintings be about SOMETHING. That's what keeps me interested and, I hope, the viewer.
ARTIST BIO
This is a story of hubris and luck. I had a practically worthless degree in English from the University of Michigan. I also had a portfolio of posters and pamphlets I had designed and illustrated for on- and off-campus groups. This I used to land a job as an apprentice at Sepetys and Assoc., a design firm near my home in Southfield, MI. After a while there, I took a day trip to Chicago and was able to meet with an art director at Playboy Magazine who, for some reason, gave me an assignment for a spot illustration. I went back to Michigan, completed the spot, quit my job and moved to Chicago. After three years in Chicago, I was ready for New York, where I met someone at a party who was about to start work at the New York Times. I met him at his new office and he introduced me to the art director for the Week in Review who, since most of his usual artists were on summer vacation, gave me assignments for the next six weeks. I switched from colored pencils to oil, was taken on by a good rep, received plum assignments, won awards then, after two decades, switched over to painting for myself full-time. I’m neither rich nor famous, but I paint what is meaningful to me and seem to have a following. Luck and hubris.
CV
Born in Detroit, MI
BGS, University of Michigan
Gold Medal, Society of Illustration
Silver Medal, Society of Illustrators
Illustration Clients: New York Times, Bergdorf Goodman, United Nations/Sites, Simon & Schuster, Pantheon Books, Walt Disney, Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, etc.
Galleries: Collier West, Brooklyn, NY; Carrie Haddad, Hudson, NY; Rice Polak, Provincetown, MA
Collections: Cooper Hewitt, U.S. Bank, Betsy James Wyeth, many private collectors
My work has also been seen on CSI, 24 Hours and The Morning Show.
Publications: The New York Times, The NY Daily News, Provincetown Independant