About Me
Background
I grew up in the central Connecticut town of Glastonbury, studied visual arts and design at Hartford Art School and painting at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Aside from painting, I've worked as a set and costume designer in Philadelphia, and later studied architecture at Temple University. After moving to New York, graphic design became my focus, creating imagery for consumer products, cable TV, Broadway theater and the Metropolitan Opera. In 2014, I returned to painting and building constructions.
Medium
Acrylic paint, colored pencil, charcoal and graphite pencil (sometimes in combination) on either canvas or paper are my go-to materials for two dimensional pieces. For three dimensional constructions, anything might work: wood, metal, paper, house paint, found objects... whatever adds to the story. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are often employed to create elements for constructions.
Inspiration
There is a simple beauty in light striking the side of a building. The light can be cheerful or hopeful, even almost euphoric on a bright sunny day. However, what’s hidden in the shadows created by that light can be frightening. In today’s world the shadows seem to outweigh the light. Fear outweighs hope. My work tries to focus closely on the tension between light and shadow, hope and fear.
Our daily lives are heavily reliant on symbols. These symbols can be monumentalized and repurposed to stand as shorthand for our needs, desires, fears and human contradictions. Some of my work explores this world.