Since I was in high school I have been painting with oils, but it wasn't until I studied with Bob Kulicke, a still life painter and frame maker in New Your City, that I became focused on still lifepainting. The technique of my work is in the "Macchiaioli" (color patch)Italian school of painting. After seeing the Macchiaioli artist's show inRome and the Morandi show in New York City, my commitmentto this technique has been my goal. The inspiration for my subject matter comes from everyday objectspainted many times over to find the right order in a simple andrealistic format. I strive for a quiet order that creates a classical illusion.The small scale, the texture of the paint and the patches of color createthe form. After many years of painting more formal fruits and flowers I added avariety of fun subjects such as milk and cookies, candied apples, martinis etc.The most fun was adding the two Zebras from my Grandfathers hand carved3500-piece circus known as the Kirk Bros. Circus in the permanent collectionof the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT.