Artist's Statement/Quote

A native Long Islander, I am essentially a self-taught artist whose love of nature and the outdoors has been my inspiration for as long as I can remember. Living in Santa Barbara in the 1970s, and then in Manhattan in the 1980s, I developed an interest in commercial illustration which lasted for ten years. My career included work for television, magazine and print ads, and children’s book illustration with a professional background that includes portraiture and decorative design.

Feeling confident and driven, I gave up commercial illustration and turned my focus to the fine arts, which had always been my intention. I started from scratch using all my basic instincts and the elements of nature for creating my current work.

With colored pencils, I recreate the rich colors and moods of my still lifes and landscapes through a slow layering process with as many as ten layers of color applied. Some of the works take as long as 100 hours to complete. I use the colored pencil on heavy, 100-percent rag bristol paper, with a palette that contains 120 colors. Unlike paint, colored pencils can’t be mixed on a palette and must be blended directly on the surface of the paper. With this precise and dry medium, it’s possible to build small areas at a time without worrying about smudging. Working slowly is essential, and mistakes must be avoided, since the pencil cannot be completely erased.

Each piece is an original work of art.