Developing Situation Painting

Born in London, raised in Los Angeles. As a child I loved to draw and paint. Later, in high school, I continued my art education. But after three years in the military I became enamored of photography and filmmaking. I received a degree from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara while simultaneously taking classes at the Santa Barbara Art Institute, followed by a long career in the film business, primarily as an editor and occasionally as a director. A few years ago I decided to return to my first love and began taking watercolor classes with Helen Groenekamp. Eventually, I discovered acrylic paint and collage. I love the freedom and spontaneity of acrylic paint. Most of my work begins with a vague idea that becomes more fully formed as paint and sometimes, bits of paper or old photographs coalesce, creating something new and often quite different from what I had intended. How this happens is a mystery to me but a mystery that I accept wholeheartedly and revel in. Robert Rauschenberg, Jim Dine and Cy Twombly are artists who have influenced my paintings.