August, 2022
Plein air painting has been an extension of my love for nature and my experiences outdoors. My paintings reflect the nuance of color and value, that one can only get from direct observation. The more I paint outdoors the more intimate I become with my surroundings and the more I can share this intimacy and value for our environment with others. It is the journey, the adventure and the challenge to paint outdoors that keeps me energised.
Born and raised in Camillus, New York, I graduated from SUNY Buffalo with a BFA in Communication Design. After an established career as a graphic designer, art director and illustrator in upstate New York, Chicago, Tulsa and, Greenville South Carolina, my wife and I moved to Arizona. Captivated by my new surroundings I began my new career as a plein air painter as well as painting murals. In 2012, we moved to Maine where I traveled the state painting its blooming springs, bucholic summers, colorful autumns and snowy winters! Yearly excursions to paint in the desert southwest had kept me tied to a place of searing raw beauty. After living in Maine my wife and I returned to Arizona in the Sedona area, where I continue to paint this surreal landscape.
My medium of choice is oil. I prefer oil paints because they are time proven. They remain open so that one can have time to blend and adjust. Oils also remain workable for plein air painting in a wide range of temperatures allowing for the cold winter and hot summer conditions. I sketch in graphite and watercolor and when painting murals I use acrylics. Having the skills of a woodworker, I make most of my own frames for my paintings. This gives my paintings an especially unique aspect to my work and I love the process.
Through the years, I have been involved with community service. Before moving to Maine I served on the City of Goodyear Arts and Culture Commission, Three Rivers Historical Society Board of Directors, founder and designer of the Estrella Mountain Regional Park Centennial Trail and Chairman of the Centennial Trail Planning Committee. For two years I was the Master Artist for "Gallery 37", the West Valley Arts Council's public art program, directing high school art students to design, present and produce public art for municipal clients. I am also a proud member of the Plein Air Painters of Maine., and a member of the Sedona Arts Center where I exhibit my work in the SAC gallery.