About
Blah blah blah... it's pretty boring, but if you actually are interested...
The first thing you notice about me is that I am a quadriplegic in an orange electric wheelchair, the result of a freak accident in May of 2018 where I broke my neck and instantly became 85% paralyzed. When I am not speeding around the house or the neighborhood, the second thing you realize is that while my shoulders and arms have range of motion, I have no movement in my fingers. Together, these non-traditional faculties define my unique techniques and style... as prior to my accident I hadn't painted since 3rd grade, when my bowl of fruit was referred to as "compost."
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The next time I picked up a brush was during my rehabilitation, over 40 years later, where I had four (4) brief art therapy sessions to help improve muscle memory. And the darnedest thing happened... as soon as I had a brush in my hand, images and colors began to flood my consciousness... and quite miraculously, I was able to paint - the beneficiary of Acquired Savant Syndrome. The traumatic brain injury had somehow uncovered latent artistic ability.
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Unaccustomed to the deep chasms of despair, loneliness and fear, I bullied myself into accepting nature’s randomness and immersed myself in the powers of color and light. The very act of painting, of holding a brush, squirt bottle or paint tube in my palms now gives me the undeniable value and purpose I could not find after the accident – a verifiable and challenging place in the world. On terms I have defined and accepted.
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The result: the emotional transference of the Christmas morning joy I wake up with every day, combined with the instinctive use of symbols and shapes from my journey, and the appreciation for the absolutely unpredictable nature of life… all woven together to create fantastical, vibrantly colorful, visual adventures as equally unexpected as they are good fun.
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And maybe, if I am lucky, I can help just one person escape life's daily pressures and difficulties... even if only for a fleeting moment.
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Focusing primarily within the field of abstract expressionism, I have worked hard to come up with the most efficient and effective methods to deliver on canvas. Utilizing latex and acrylic paints and the occasional ink, I use a unique action painting technique I describe as "the 4 corners approach". Because I must remain in my chair, I paint on a canvas laying flat on a table, and rotate the canvas continuously until completed. Essentially, I am therefore painting from "all four corners and sides", and inherently painting four paintings within one painting itself. The hidden bonus: many of my paintings can be viewed and hung from any of the four sides.
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I am still realizing my voice, and enjoy paying homage to some of the greats - from Pollock, Kandinsky and Kline to de Kooning, Johns, Haring and Reinhardt - and you will see hints and shades as you review my portfolio. Additionally,I am influenced by the art and alphabets of ancient cultures, including the Sumerians, Egyptians, Phoenicians and Mesoamericans.
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Born and raised in New York City, I now live in Fairfield, CT