H.M. SAFFER II is a contemporary American painter based in Upstate New York. His creative endeavors are broadly scoped, ranging from the restaurant industry where he was the chef/owner of two Parisian restaurants and a third location in Spain, to the music industry where he worked for Barclay Records as a producer, and later Warner Brothers Production. While with Warner Brothers, Saffer II co-wrote the international hit song “Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma”, recorded by Ray Charles, Melanie, and other performers. All throughout, he has painted. In the 1980s, Saffer II moved abroad again, this time to study traditional Japanese brush painting with the Japanese masters. He remained in Japan for over a decade before relocating to New York, where he currently works and paints. Saffer II has instructed at the Norman Rockwell Museum, and at the collegiate level. His painting is textural and rich, balancing a sense of essential simplicity and quietude with pointillist mark making.