Artist Statement
My early formal arts training occurred during the mashup of the 1960s-70s. We still appreciated the old masters, and some sought to replicate those styles as a test of our talent. At the same time, we were slinging paint at-- and sticking stuff to--canvas in the style of Jackson Pollack and Jasper Johns . It was the onset of experimentation with emerging new materials, media, applications and venues. I grew up on the old masters, but in practice, was seeking all the abstractions and modern interpretations. I trained in the remarkable confluence of great works from the past, and the fast flowing stream of movements and sub-movements that the mid and late 1900s produced. My Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University in 1972 is unique to its time. In addition to all of the resources of the Fine Arts Department, I was lucky enough to participate in the photography program within the Newhouse School of Public Communications at SU. There, I had the best of instructors, equipment and lab facilities.
That early training, coupled with 30 years of broad interests and experience, find me now with a free-ranging style. Perfect for these times. I paint, draw and photograph what I want. Sometimes landscape, sometime impressionist, sometimes figurative, sometimes abstract. I've crossed over to digital photography, and find that my foundation in film and darkroom work influences how I use the camera. I prefer not to photoshop images.
I realize now that my earliest mentor was Grand Mother Carmichael. She was the blind, 90 something, grandmother of the pastor's family living across the street. We spent hours talking about art. She was part of the Canadian landscape impressionists of the 1920s influenced by the European impressionists. She counseled me to use the northern light when painting, and never to use black in my palette. This, long before I ever imagined that I might be an artist too....
I hope you enjoy my work.