How long have you been creating?

Was a late bloomer and started college and painting in ’77 when I was 25. Attended schools until ’84 when I ran out of money and patience. Have been painting ever since except for a short time. Oils have been my exclusive medium since ’80; I like their appearance, versatility and the challenge of working with such a complex vehicle. I paint because I feel weird when I don’t, sort of like getting hungry. Tried to quit out of frustration about 10 years ago and this lasted 4 years but I couldn’t stay quit. Looking back, this break was good for me as it gave me time and distance to see I had been suffering from masterpiece syndrome and elitist snobbery. When resuming work, I rediscovered the reason I began to paint in the beginning; it’s fun to paint.

What other artists or movements inform your work?

By the time I left grad school, I had my fill of artists and have been working in isolation ever since be it good, bad or indifferent. Haven’t followed contemporary work for 20 years but the artists who have made the longest lasting impact on me are Rembrandt and Picasso. Am fascinated by Rembrandt’s realism and theatrics and entertained by Picasso’s perceptual suggestions and illusions. As odd as it sounds I have been striving for a synthesis of the two for a long time.

What do you find visually stimulating right now?

My favorite visual stimulation is my wife and I am intrigued by life and how often we see descriptions rather than appearances. No matter what motif I choose to work from, for me the subject is always light.

What's the last book you read?

The last book I have read, listened to actually, is Wolves of Calla by Stephen King. I enjoy listening to books as I paint especially King.

Your work is very diverse, ranging from pastoral, to urban, to portraiture. Which subject do you feel best exemplifies you?

Yes, I enjoy working from a variety of motifs, since coming online to Ebay, I have worked primarily from photos but miss the fun of plein air painting and hope to resume this practice this year. As I said, light is always my subject. I spent years painting on the street at night and learned more about light in this way than through many, many daylight paintings.

What would you like your fellow EBSQ artists and our collectors to know about you and/or your work?

My work is the means by which I validate my existence but not to others, no longer seeking nor running from acknowledgement and having very little interest in this nor really caring if my work ever becomes a memorial bridge of sorts. This sounds crazy but when painting I feel real otherwise it’s like I am but a reflection.