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“Young man, I want the principal to see
this!” Sister Mary Evelyn thundered, “Oh no, I’m
doomed!” Blood left my brain, my armpits felt like
wet sponges. I was caught drawing pictures of army
tanks instead of doing math, 7th grade
hell. That was the story of my life in school. As I
walked down the glossy green and tan stairwell to
Sister Constance Maria’s office with my pictures
covering my math assignment, I could never have
imagined that my redemption was at hand.
The elderly sister thought very highly of
my renderings and said I should tell Sister Mary
Evelyn that I was quite talented! I said, “sure.”
Having avoided an episode of corporal punishment, I
thought there may be some esteem building to this
art thing. I never looked back. That covers my “Art
Education”, i.e., being bored in class and drawing
all the time. Mark Twain comes to mind; “I’ve never
let school interfere with my education.”
After high school I received on-the-job
training in aerospace as a technical illustrator and
later taught myself graphic design/illustration. I
had my own design studio from1981-1993. By the late
1980’s I was told to learn to do art using computers
or I’d be out. It was a great excuse to segway into
fine art. I never did learn how to operate
computers. The problem was that I took a big pay
cut. I had to self teach again, this time on
marketing my work. Trying many different ways I
finally figured that setting up my easel in a retail
venue was an excellent way of picking up commission
work. I am usually backed up for a few months and
because of this I don’t exhibit at shows. I just try
to stay on top financially.
My love of boating and the sea goes back to
growing up on the Long Island Sound where I learned
to sail before I could balance on a two-wheeler! Now
I live in the Seattle, area and plan on returning to
the East Coast in the future. I visit as often as
possible never forgetting to stop by the old
Catholic school in Northport, Long Island where my
early artistic endeavors paid out their first
dividends.
D.O.B.
1949, Northport, New York
Married, three grown children;
Full
time artist
Subject Matter: All
Medium: oil/ canvas- pencil/paper or board
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