My earliest memories of life include drawing and being fascinated by art. After studying fashion at Ray College of Design in Chicago, my first art job was as a fashion illustrator for newspaper ads. Following this were many jobs from graphic design to insurance. Being retired has allowed me the time to devote to my art.
Being mostly self-taught in various mediums, I now specialize in chalk pastels. The rich colors and gorgeous texture of pastels, as well as the ease of use and clean-up, make them the best choice for me. I continue to learn by studying master works, old and new, and using many resources to develop skills of value, color, and composition. Going to art museums and sketching great works is hugely instructional and inspiring.
My art expresses the beauty I see in people, nature, and ordinary life. When viewing a person, I begin almost immediately to draw them in my mind. Landscape is a never-ending lesson to me in composition, color, texture, and close and distant perspective all at once. The sky is a visual study that changes moment by moment. Capturing the colors of the atmosphere and how they relate to the overall subject is mesmerizing. Then the other ordinary observations in life; the way people are relating and the light source effect on everything; offer limitless opportunities for inspiration that I attempt to put into my art.