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My love for fine art began at an early age. As a youngster growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I found a certain satisfaction in being able to create a pencil drawing that mirrored a photo of a favorite athlete or musician. I was fortunate to have the love and support of a wonderful family that encouraged me in my artistic endeavors. I looked forward to childhood visits to the Art Institute of Chicago where I became enamored with the works of master Renaissance painters who captured the human form in ways I could only imagine. Seeing potential at an early age, my parents made sacrifices to enroll me in art classes and give me an opportunity to discover the “sleeping Michaelangelo” in me. While I possessed a fondness for the beauty and wonderment of nature and its obvious potential as a source for artistic inspiration, I was drawn to the challenge of creating human likenesses – both in drawings and in modeling clay.
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During my years in school, I developed a reputation as a talented caricature artist – often creating humorous portraits of teachers and fellow students. It was during my high school years that I discovered my appreciation for art history and joined the school newspaper serving as art editor.
My college years at DePaul University were spent, for the most part, away from art and focused primarily on my academic studies. I majored in Accounting, obtained my CPA license and pursued a career in the corporate world. It was several years later when I stumbled upon a sidewalk artist working in Pastels that my life was changed for good. After acquiring a few books on the Pastel medium, I was determined to focus on my minds eye view of my subjects and embrace the perception I had created in my own vision. I did not seek formal training from an art school or master pastellist. Instead, it was my goal to hone and develop a style of painting – both technically and aesthetically – that I was comfortable with and that flowed with a natural ease.
I sold my first commissioned portrait in 1990 and have not looked back ever since. While I still manage and maintain a successful CPA practice, I enjoy the creative freedom and challenge associated with my artistic endeavors … not to mention the sense of escape it provides. I hope that one day I will be able to focus my full attention to my art and continue to grow and develop my skills in new and exciting ways.
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