Profile

My story so far…

Growing up in Chicago as a young boy I always loved to draw and received an abundance of encouragement from friends and family to continue with my art. Ultimately going to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale it was of course no great surprise that I should major in it. My mother… always the wise guiding hand… counselled me that I should also study education… so that I would have something to fall back on… so a combination of Art and Education it was. Back in the 60’s & 70’s, literally in all the art course that were available for me to take, there wasn’t a lot of support or approval from the University Art Faculty, for anyone working in any sort of realistic or literal style. Therefore much of my early work, such as in my early “Dreamscape series” took on a more abstracted appearance.

After graduation and having not been selected for the military in the first U.S. Draft Lottery and yet also, not a particular supporter of the Viet Nam War… I chose to go to Ontario Canada, to visit a group of friends who were living up there. I found the North country to be both beautiful, artistically inspiring… and the people to be very welcoming. Although I had initially planned on only a relatively short stay, the positive reaction I had to my artwork combined with some early positive teaching experiences, convinced me to stay.

I soon became relatively well known as the resident artist of Bancroft Ontario and my artwork flourished. I was kept busy with numerous commissions and art shows, designed several area calendars and even designed the official town coat of arms and 1/2 of the Bancroft Centennial coin. However, in the early 80’s the economy took rather a downturn and many people began squandering their savings on frivolous things like food and shelter, rather than investing in my artwork. Eventually, in 1984,I came to discover that a high school up in Barry’s Bay, Madawaska Valley District High School, was looking for an art teacher… I figured with my educational training… why not… so I applied. Apparently they liked the idea of hiring a professional artist and even after learning I held art specialist teaching credentials… they had to pay me a bit more… but still chose to keep me on.

Athough much occupied with teaching, I still continued with my own art. One thing I should be forever grateful for is the ultimate self-realization that there is never a more fulfilling method of learning, and expanding your own knowledge… than in the sharing and teaching of it to others. I can certainly say that I can only hope my students learned as much from me as I learned from them. Now retired and having been honoured with being nominated by my colleagues and presented with the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 1997…and once again able to devote myself to my own art, I now look forward to utilizing this web-page to share further my artistic creations and the knowledge that as long as my creative works continue to exist… I too, at least to this extent… will also continue to exist.

When I think of contrasts, I of course think of all varieties… value, colour, texture, form and dimension. It is through these manipulations of contrasts that I attempt to achieve a form of clarity in my work. It is my hope to create an image through which the viewer has the impression of seeing the world through my eyes and perhaps even reach into the scene and touch it’s various elements.

Primarily I am a naturalist and although I strive to create a world where objects exist in their natural environment… I also purposely attempt to manipulate the various principles and elements of design to control, guide and direct the viewers eyes through any particular piece. However, I am certainly also not above bending the rules to enhance my vision and the essence of a specific scene. In my more recent works I have come to make greater use of actual 3-dimensional materials to enhance this illusion of depth.

Art Department Head, Teacher, Visual Arts, Branch President OSSTF

Madawaska Valley District High School

Juror, Art Exhibitions

Art Gallery of Bancroft, Bancroft, Ontario:  Numerous group exhibitions & One-man shows… 1977-2016

Buckhorn Wildlife Festival, Buckhorn, Ontario:  Exhibitor… 1982

Corby Gallery, Belleville, Ontario:  One-man show… 1984

Algonquin Art Centre, Algonquin Provincial  Park, Ontario… 1988

Here is a listing of all my work from Chicago to Glencoe for your information: