Art For the Wild At Heart

BIOGRAPHY

My artwork is a blend I call “expressive realism.” I attempt to portray the lives and dilemmas of the outcasts, misfits or vagabonds of American life. As an avid filmgoer I often instill a melodramatic edge to my compositions as a way of enticing the viewer, much like cinema and theater.  I aim to create scenes that encourage the viewer to assume the role of a voyeur; scenarios whose outcomes need to be filled in by those witnessing them.  Often I’ll exaggerate details such as facial expression and body language to uncover a character’s implications and actions. Melancholy, pathos, regret or fear may befall my characters, yet I aspire to reveal humor, hope or the ‘inner light of the soul’ amidst their circumstances as well. Most of these images are rendered in oil pastels mixed with turpentine. Beginning in 2018 I have been creating my images using the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil on Procreate. 

I was born in Orange, NJ in 1968 and raised in West Orange.  In 2001 I moved to Keyport, NJ where I currently reside. I’ve been drawing and painting since Kindergarten and studied art throughout high school.  I attended college at Montclair State