... In 1992 I won first place in The
Monmouth Council for the Arts fine art
contest
In 1993 I attended The School of Visual
Arts in New York and studied fine art
under artist Steven Westfall and lived
with John Hodany, an art student at
Cooper Union who was a great inspiration
to me and a major influence on my
creativity. In 1994 I had my first show
of paintings at the School of Visual
Arts East Side Gallery where I sold some
work.
In 1995 I dropped out of school and
returned home due to health problems
where I worked and studied my craft. It
was during this time that I began a
series of projects that would occupy my
life for years to come.
From 1998-2000 I worked for Wemrock
Orchards painted a 30' x 30 ' edifice of
a haunted house and over a hundred
life-size characters for their seasonal
hayride event.
Between 1999 and 2001 I studied acting
and performed in community theater
productions of “The House of Yes” and
“Ghosts of the Loyal Oaks”.
In 2003 I was accepted to The Guild of
Creative Art and entered work in several
shows throughout Monmouth County and in
2004 I had my first one-man show at
Gallery 31 in Freehold entitled “The
Roadside Rags”.
Like all artists, my surroundings and
the age in which I live have determined
the art I choose to make. As an
American man brought up in pop culture,
I have inexorably embraced this reality
while somehow preserving a degree of
autonomy in the unspoken understanding
that I live on Planet Earth before I
live in The United States of America.
This wisdom has led me into studies in
world history, religion, and current
events and has kept me focused on
exploring my own outer and inner truth.
One night up at school in New York I
caught sight of one of my professors as
I came out of a music club and in a
state of self-doubt I asked him what the
secret was for making great art. He said
to me, “Just keep doing it”.
I was disappointed with such an answer.
But years later what became clear to me
was that an artist is an artist and that
it may not be up to us what happens as a
result or to make art for any other
reason than that.
