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"knives, brushes, fingernails. I'd use my teeth if I thought it would help."

I was 9 years old when I heard Theodore Bikel, say these lines in the movie, "A Dog of Flander." I guess they made a deep impression on me since I have never forgotten them.

I started drawing and painting like everybody else, in elementary school. My parents bought me my first easel after I won a county poster contest, along with paints, brushes, and drawing paper. The rug in my room became the sacrificial lamb to my endeavors.

In high school my art teacher was Mr. Kline. He could be a bit gruff, but he taught us the foundational basics of perspective, composition, color theory, and impressionism, He also introduced us to photography, some avant-garde filmmaking, and repurposed the department storage closet into a dark room including laying the floor tiles himself, so we could develop our own photos and films.Meanwhile my older brother gave me his Nikon. He used it while traveling in Europe and didn’t need it anymore. When I went off to college I was rarely seen without it. Lucky for me Hofstra had a dark room too.

I took almost every art and art history class Hofstra offered. While I was there Hofstra also implemented a film department. I continued to paint but by the time I was 20 I landed my first job in the film industry. I loved the work and continued working in that industry for many years. Painting slipped away of course, but I never stopped drawing or taking pictures.

About 20 years ago, I stumbled into a group of medieval recreationists and an organization called the Society for Creative Anchronism (SCA). It was that association that brought back to painting, and I once again found my passion for it. I reacquainted myself with calligraphy and illumination, and the art of the renaissance. The work of Hans Holbein the Younger and Johannes Vermeer fascinated me. Their use of light and mastering of human expression is awe inspiring, and in many ways quite modern.

I now paint almost every day, happy to have come back to the beginning of it all. I look at things differently now. For me painting is a puzzle to be solved and a journey in and of itself. It’s a blending of color and light, and every day the painting reveals new secrets, that once seen cannot be unseen. There is hesitation at the start of each project, and some days are harder than others. I want to curse the canvas and walk away, but the next day I’m back, placing one new stroke of color after the other, until one day it begins to come together and the vision in your head appears on the canvas.

Many of my paintings have been sold through friends and acquaintances, and there have been a few commissions. I finally had my first juried, group show, and won The Jurors Prize for the "Portrait of Hara". No one was more surprised than I was because there were wonderful pieces in the show. I’m now looking forward to more shows, of course, I’ll need more paintings for that!

The Materials I Use

Portrait Linen -For my smaller pieces. It has a very smooth surface, that is perfect for the fine detail. My favorite supplier is wholesaleartsframes.com. Pre stretched linen is gessoed. The price is reasonable and they will stretch custom sizes. I add a layer of oil ground before painting.

Williamsburg Handmade Oil Paint-These paints have a good balance between oil and pigment with little to no separation. Due to their high pigment load I find them to be more economical that less expensive brands.

Rosemary & Company handmade brushes. They have a wonderful feel, and if you take care of them, they will last a long time. They are made England but their prices will match anything you can get here in the states. I'm an affiliate so you can order them through this link: