A Bio of sorts......

I have drawn for as long as I can remember, and since 1998 I've shared that interest with students at Ohio Northern University in the flatlands of Ada, OH. I live and work with my remarkable wife Melissa, an accomplished artist who also teaches at Northern, our two amazing daughters, and a small herd of cats. Before ONU I taught at Thiel College in Greenville, PA for nine years after shuffling between several schools in Western New York teaching as an adjunct professor.

I first came to painting as a kid with a local artist, Rose DiCarlo, who taught out of her home and who had us out on the street drawing and painting whenever she could. Later, I was extremely fortunate to be taken under wing by two gentlemen, Don Grieger and John Hodgins, who loved to paint outdoors. This was my real introduction to working outdoors and on the spot.

My "official" training came afterwards and consists of an undergraduate degree from SUNY College of Brockport where I was fortunate enough to study painting and drawing with Robert Marx and ceramics with Bill Stewart. My graduate degree is in drawing and painting from the University of Buffalo where the wonderful Harvey Breverman taught. I've also had the opportunity to participate in workshops with Charles Movalli, Andy Evansen, Eric Michaels, Bill Vrscak, Christopher Leeper, Tony Couch, and Vladislav Yeliseyev among others.

Through the years I've come to deeply appreciate sketching and realized that it's okay to sketch just for the pleasure of it. Sketching doesn't have to be a preparation for something grander, nor does it have to be a competitive sport. It's okay to sketch just to enjoy and explore the world we live in, to pay attention and notice what you notice. I encourage you to give it a try and see what you see!