I was born in Newport, RI in 1964. I have been active as an artist since I was a child. In my high school art classes I was intensely focused and had the good fortune to have two inspired teachers.

At that point in my life art was the most important means of self-expression for me. After graduating from Middletown High School in 1983 I worked for a contractor restoring houses. I then went on to work as a first mate on a large sailing yacht in the Caribbean. Upon return to the United States I enrolled in the University of Rhode Island as an English Major where I continued my search for knowledge and indulged my love of literature. At the time I did not consider art as a viable career choice thus I did not take any art classes during my four years at college.

Once I finished college I apprenticed with an internationally known decorative painter both in England and in Newport, RI. This apprenticeship, which began in 1989 happened by chance and coincided with my renewed interest in artistic pursuits. I went on to study the basics of fine art painting with a local artist. Since then I have made my living both as a decorative painter and a fine artist. For many years I tended to resent the decorative work because I felt it took away from my freedom as an artist. Over the past few years I have recognized that it has been an integral part of my growth as an artist and I am actively engaged in incorporating my decorative sense of color and design into my fine art painting.

My imagery is predominantly representational, but I have recently worked to infuse it with a strong emotional content. Some of this is drawn from my relationships, particularly to my two children and wife. Some grows out of a lifelong devotion to music, which has always provided a pathway to realizing my own artistic voice.

Another aspect of my practice, which has helped to form its character, has been a strict use of traditional methods and materials. This ritualized discipline has helped me to create an environment and attitude of practice, which helps me to realize thoughtful images with great clarity.

I have been active in both local and far-flung artistic communities as both a painter and a teacher. I have taught adults at the Newport Art Museum and on Isla de Margarita, Venezuela and have lectured at schools and other local venues. In private studio classes I have challenged teen aged students to learn a methodical approach to painting, which follows a foundational instruction of drawing.

My work has been shown at many local galleries in group and solo exhibitions. In 1992 I founded the Hupper’s Island Artist Colony in Port Clyde, Maine. The group met annually for thirteen years on the island for a painting residency of several weeks. Our collective works have been exhibited on numerous occasions in both Boston and in Maine and have been published in a catalog entitled “The Hupper’s Five”. Over the years I have won several awards. In 2006 I had my first solo museum show at the Newport Art Museum. I continue to challenge myself with complex subject matter and have gained a great appreciation for the master painters and the history of painting in itself. At this point I find myself highly focused on the craft of rendering what I see as well as I can without concern for an intellectual agenda.