How I Work
My career as an exhibiting artist started in 1979. In 1981, I completed my MFA in Painting from Bard College. My artistic practice has since centered on painting; primarily, abstraction and experimentation with a great variety of media. I am a core instructor for R&F Handmade Paints in Kingston, NY and ambassador for Ampersand Art Panels. As an annual presenter and instructor at the International Encaustic Conference in Provincetown, MA, I teach regularly while continually learning from my colleagues and course participants. My workshops in “Encaustic Painting” and “Oil, Cold Wax and Multi-Mediums” are offered annually throughout the U.S. and Europe. I have served as a Guest Artist at a number of colleges and universities, including Pratt Institute, Western Michigan University and others. I enjoy the chance to work with graduate and undergraduate students in both the classroom and studio environments, along with leading presentations for a range of participants.
The tenets of my teaching are centered in years of experience working with conceptually-driven painterly abstraction and my love of layered materiality. All of my teaching concentrates on content, creativity, art making and of course, technique. I place a particular emphasis on helping students to discover their unique marks and concepts. Artists attending these workshops want and need to revisit the fundamentals of art, including facets of their practice spanning color, composition, and mark making. We cover these important aspects of what completes a painting. We have high-energy sessions featuring experimentation across a multitude of materials. I schedule fast-paced demos and exercises for participants alongside ample painting time, personal attention and group discussions with course attendees. Together we review presentations that I have created addressing art history and the development of artwork over subsequent time periods. I also reference works by contemporary artists which I have discovered from my connections in New York City, as well as all the art events, openings and museum shows I have had the privilege to visit annually, to allow fellow artists to widen their worldview and knowledge of contemporary art topics.
My specialty centers around each individual’s needs, with focused attention paid to visual editing and critique. I provide personal, one-on-one teaching time to my students so we can discuss their specific questions and what is happening in their work.
Each class is a different experience, which taps into my personal interests as it is thrilling for me to be able to contribute to the art community in this meaningful and personal way!
