Art has been the center focus of my life and certainly my major interest and joy. Born into an immigrant family, refugees from Nazi Germany, my parents were eager to explore this new land, America. We often went to museums when I was a young child. Having the resources of New York City close by added to my exposure as a young artist. I enrolled in art school as a child, attended the Art Students League in New York and completed an M.F.A. at Brooklyn College (CUNY) in painting and drawing. I also hold an M.S. in interior design. I have taught art full time on the university level, been a high school art teacher, assistant principal and principal of a NYC focused art high school, the High School of Art and Design. I have attended many art residencies throughout the world. Most recently I have had a show and am being represented by the George Billis Gallery in Chelsea, N.Y.
Over the years, due to my background in architectural design, I have a series of paintings about the built environment. These include one group of paintings which focused on building stairwells, another portrayed halls in old buildings. These series took the viewer into old tenement buildings, a trip back into time, perhaps a place that their ancestor’s inhabited. My interest in interior spaces has evolved from my earlier training in architectural design as well as my interest in environmental psychology.
I am also interested in capturing the historic architectural periods through the paintings of building exteriors.
The steady hand I developed as an architectural draftsman is apparent in my linear drawings. As well, the painterly quality and texture employed in my work, brings me closer to the great oil painters of the past.
I also enjoy the process of plein air painting. This process enables me to fully appreciate the beauty of the landscape around me, both the natural landscape and built environment.