I grew up in Upstate New York, where the farming community had no clue that you could make a living as an artist, and yet I was interested in art from a very young age. I started drawing when I was around five and began to paint around seven. I spent a lot of time drawing from life. I began my art studies at RIT and finished with a BFA in Painting from Tyler School of Art 1982. As I was exposed to the work of wonderful painters and teachers, I began to see what was possible. My mentors inspired me to grasp that someone could actually make an art life work. Currently, my work seems focused on the ways we perceive the world around us, particularly in landscapes, cityscapes and still life. Using sketches done from life and some alchemy in the studio, my process is ultimately about the paint, what is there, asking “How do I react to what’s there?” and the dynamic relationship between the paint and the panel in front of me. My work has shown in several galleries: Gross McCleaf, Blue Heron, Church Street, Gallery 1261, Art Nou Mil.lenni in Barcelona, Spain, and many others. I enjoy leading workshops all over the country and Canada; I have taught at The Encaustic Center, The Encaustic Conference, R&F Paints, and the Canadian Federation of Artists. My teaching concentrates on distilling the common confusion and hesitancy around encaustic and other ancient media. I approach visual problems of painting as an editor: my love of the medium and excitement of the possibilities informs the pathways and risks I take. My practice is to paint five to six days a week, dividing my time between the studio and home life. Growing up as the son of a carpenter, I also enjoy revisiting those skills in the service of others as often as I can.