Still Life with Pears Painting

I was born in the 1950's in a “bad” neighborhood in South Brooklyn, NY. The street wasn't a pretty place. However, my grandmother lived downstairs and managed to keep a beautiful small garden that became my refuge to write, draw and paint. My parents bought me artx supplies so I could create the world I wanted to see. As a result, I started drawing and painting at an early age. Although a mostly self-taught artist, while pursuing academics in college, I also studied art at the Arts Student League in NYC, and Brooklyn College. After college, I went to work in publishing and advertising in NYC, and left my paints behind. I married and moved to Rockland County in 1976. In Rockland, I enjoyed a 22 year career in Graphic Arts, Marketing and Publishing. In 1998, I returned to my love of art and opened the Arts Alive Art School and Studio in the Garnerville Arts Center where I taught Drawing, Watercolor and Acrylic classes and workshops. I went on to have studio/class locations in the Edward Hopper House in Nyack, and also in Nanuet and in Blauvelt. In 2015, I paused my art and teaching to focus on my interest in photography and video production. I still work in photography and video production, however, returning to my love of art, I recently opened the Arts Alive Art Gallery at 85 S. Broadway in Nyack, NY where we exhibit my work along with the works of other regional artists. I work in Watercolor and Acrylic and I love to explore and create images using a variety of styles and techniques based on the best way to reveal a particular image or concept. Sometimes I create a series of work based on a certain inspiration such as the "Old World Images for a New Millennium" Collection I created some years back that consisted of paintings looking like old-world frescos taken off walls. The collection sold quite well, but I do have a few that I kept in my private collection and will now offer for sale. As for my style...some of my work is traditional, some impressionist, and some paintings are semi-abstract or abstract, some are graphic. Recently, I am creating more abstract and minimalist images. I don't like to be boxed into one particular style. As an artist, I believe I am an explorer. Images, ideas and concepts are free-flowing, and I believe I should use my creative and technical art skills to best express each idea or image in its uniqueness.