Drawing Light & Form with Conté 1F26

The artwork I was exposed to as a child inspired me to become an artist and influenced the type of art I feel called to make. I admired the artists of the Ashcan School who painted scenes of everyday life with humor and passion, the German artists Otto Dix, George Grosz, and Kaethe Kollwitz whose work so clearly ex-pressed the the misery of war, and Daumier’s delightful sketches of characters of the court. My work includes images that document small moments of drama in everyday life, and explore social issues and problems. I often work in series, using whatever media I feel will best express an idea, including oil, watercolor, pastel, and conte crayon. Series include scenes of kids playing on stoops and in city parks, subway commuters, local workers and bettors at the horse and greyhound tracks, and circus folk I knew when I worked as a groom for the Big Apple Circus.I have also documented family farm auctions in Iowa, and a fishermen’s strike in New Bedford.

After graduating with a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, I studied mural painting and mosaics. My public art portfolio includes murals for ten public libraries in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, history murals for numerous communities, and monumental mosaic projects. Funded with grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, I've conducted residencies and created artwork with students of all ages, including mosaics, murals, and individual books of student's poetry, stories, and illustrations.