I was born in Yonkers, New York, and grew up in West Haven, Connecticut. Growing up, I always had an appreciation for art and visual expression. My own journey in art began while at the University of Miami when I borrowed a roommate’s 35mm camera; for the next forty-plus years, photography became my chosen medium. Friends and family often joked that the camera was an extension of my hands. I worked with local theater groups and shot everything from portraits to weddings, but my favorite subjects were landscapes and pets.

Upon retiring three years ago, I wanted a new challenge. With several friends who painted and after watching what others were doing on YouTube, I decided to try painting. I quickly discovered how much I didn’t know and how much there was to learn, and I have been learning steadily ever since. However, painting proved relaxing, and I found genuine enjoyment in making art with this medium. Posting my work online and receiving positive responses gave me the confidence to take painting more seriously.

I now show pieces at various art shows across Connecticut and Rhode Island and remain open to new opportunities; when the chance to exhibit at MRPAC arose, I accepted to broaden the audience for my work. I primarily use acrylics but have begun experimenting with water-soluble oils and other mediums such as cold wax. Color, shape, and texture are central to my process, used to draw the viewer in. The way colors in nature shift with changing light deeply influences me. I aim for my artwork to convey the delight of color and light and to reflect their relationships to everyday experience. I paint intuitively, working mainly in an abstract expressionist vein.