I have been creating images with charcoal pencil and paint my whole life, with my first vigorous pursuit of painting during my last 2 years of college when I declared my second major in Studio Art. After graduating I exhibited in a one man show at Cedar Crest College. I won first prize that spring at a juried show sponsored by the Lehigh Art Alliance. I also exhibited in a two-man show at the Open Space Gallery in Allentown, PA and exhibited in other juried shows, including the Allentown Art Museum. My most recent one-man show was at Moravian Academy.

I have pursed creating new works as time allows me, selling most of my paintings. In 1993 I began to study at the Barnstone Studios to learn more about how the master painters approached drawing and design. Myron Barnstone teaches a system of design based upon the golden section that helps aspiring artists approach their art work with greater skill and refinement. The new tools I gained have linked my artistic sensibilities with a long-standing tradition that informed through the centuries the Renaissance masters on down to the Cubists and other early 20th century artists.

Currently I am studying the works of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Diego Rivera, and Jacques Villon for their treatment of architecture and natural forms. I love how each artist simplifies form and each has helped me learn how to edit out extraneous detail, formalizing the composition with arabesques and parallel lines, and rendering form with limited detail. As I analyze on the golden section and either copy or re-design their master works, I expand my own set of tools for painting and design. As I go outdoors to explore the world of plein-air painting I recall the rich light of Edward Hopper’s works, and try to simplify natural forms with Paul Cezanne’s parallel lines in mind. As an aspiring artist I hope to continue the artists’ conversation of what makes painting more than just painting—in sum, what distinctive contribution might I make to the world of Art.