After a very lengthy interruption, I picked up a sketchbook a few years ago and feverishly began to
draw. Almost immediately I felt an overwhelming sense of relief, and I knew I had found the outlet for the images that were bottled up in my head. I rarely see things as they really are ... instead, I view them as I think they should be.

Charcoals are my favorite medium for almost all compositions. When gazing at scenery, floral arrangements or colorful imagery, I tend to view as a beautiful charcoal drawing. It's amazing that such distinctive values can be achieved using such a short list of supplies! With no real formal training or instruction, I'm still learning through trial, error, erasure ... and more erasure! I've also discovered that I am more comfortable with a freehand approach rather than using trace or grid.

I am beginning to experiment with color - pastels and colored pencils are tempting, but I haven't been able to project the same mood and feeling into my work as I do with charcoal. That being said, I think charcoal will continue to be my passion and my enthusiasm as long as it keeps moving me ... and with a bit of luck, interests you! read more...

“Trained first as an architect, then as a set designer, my work has a structured design sensibility interwoven with my painter’s approach. A decade working in theatrical and industrial scene shops shaped my artwork: the layers upon layers of ghosted outlines on the paint deck, the result of hundreds of odd-shaped pieces of scenery having been painted then removed, struck me and influenced my vision. I am also deeply influenced by Japanese stencil-cut artwork and by decorative architectural ironwork from around the world.

“My pieces are composed of surface, silhouette, and void, which I create by cutting board, then painting the surface with oil paints, always thinking of that layered silhouetting of paint, and of the layers of an old city like layers of memory building up to inform a rich present. I am content to allow a viewer to find his own way into my work, and discover the small details that are important to me, on a second or third viewing.”

Through March 27th at CCTV's Drive-by-Gallery, 675 Massachusetts Avenue, entrance on Prospect Street