Manzanita

About the Artist

My early career began back in the early 70s when I was a graphic designer and assistant Art Director working in several top New Jersey advertising agencies. Our clientele were mainly foreign auto manufacturers which included Ferrari, Lancia, Fiat, Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen along with work done for Rolls Royce and Subaru. If I were to say working with these types of accounts was not fun and boring, it would be totally ludicrous. Our work involved Corporate tradeshows, corporate literature, advertising extensively in print media, showroom design and sales literature.
Sometime in the mid 80s, I started my own freelance studio with my wife where we did a tremendous amount of work for an assortment of clientele. These included regional auto dealership organizations, local and regional banks, and real estate agencies. Our business grew rapidly and we then hired several freelance artists to help with our work load.
Soon after this venture, we felt it was time to start our family and I decided to finish my bachelor’s degree with a special education credential for teaching Kindergarten through 12th grade students. Teaching young students with learning disabilities was very challenging but also very rewarding at the same time. After a long and successful career in teaching, I retired in 2018.
Ever since I first picked up a crayon, I have enjoyed a tremendous sense of accomplishment and pride in making art in many different forms and media. And this joy has been with me throughout my life, from my early days in elementary school through high school and all during my working careers. It has grown stronger and more satisfying with each year.
For the past several years I have been a member in the Yosemite Sierra Artists group, mainly doing work during the portrait group drawing and painting sessions. Many fellow artists work in many varied medias for uninstructed and uninterrupted study. Models are selected to be a part of this experience and are engaged in long poses usually in many interesting costumes. Many artists choose to work in oils, acrylics, pastels, and water colors. Others may choose charcoals, oil pastels, crayons, and graphite, which I must admit, are the materials I adore.
​ My latest work was a labor of love. This piece took almost six excruciatingly long months to complete. The basic premise came quickly and was based on a wonderful collection of Manzanita trees situated behind my home. I labored the longest on my color selection for this piece which drove me insane.
​ This current painting gives the viewer a sense of awe and a realization of how majestic and beautiful these California Manzanita trees can be and makes the viewer want to investigate and digest it totally. This is exactly the same experience I get every time I explore, examine, and find myself wandering throughout this painting. I intend to incorporate several more interesting paintings like ‘Manzanita’ in this same method and style to include in this new body of work.