Mario’s Kate - Limited Edition of 15 Print

I was born in NYC to artist parents. Both my grandfathers were photographers. My mother is a painter,father is an Emmy winning documentary film maker, his cousin was Basquiat. I have had the great fortune of witnessing committed and creative souls in process for as long as I can remember. Painting and drawing were my first impulses and they carried me to the design studio of Donna Karan Menswear at 21. My responsibilities were labeled under ‘inspiration” and it was my duty to shoot street trends, hunt vintage stores , help cast shows and sketch. It was here that I my life as working artist began. Access was granted to great creative minds in front of and behind the scenes. During my period of time in the fashion business, I had the good fortune and invaluable experience of watching the best image makers in the world at work . Eventually, I saw that working at a fashion design company , even a top tier one, wasn’t really my passion, but it was a then unknown necessary step. Armed with a killer headshot from a world famous photographer, I did what any adventurous, young, creative and seeking soul would do: I went off to LA to learn to act. Several commercials and a couple of years later, I was faced with the enviable position of having loads of free time and the unenviable position of realizing I still hadn't found "IT". Painting returned with a vengeance and quickly included site specific mural work, shows and private commissions and a corner was turned when I was commissioned to paint the three young sons of “Twilight” producer Wyck Godfrey. His boys were young and would never be able to sit still long enough for their portraits to be painted, so I bought a camera,photographed them and worked from the pictures. Never before had I ever really photographed a complete stranger, let alone three, but something amazing happened. My actors’ head clicked in to establish a quick,dynamic yet sincere connection with my subjects . My painters’ composition clicked in to create a well composed, and beautifully lit image . My fashion backround gave me an instinct for textures and how clothing should look and fit , and my newly discovered photographer’s eye put it all together and knew exactly when to press the shutter. It was a revelation. What started as strictly reference for painting (which it still is) has evolved into a full fledged passion and respect for the art of the immediately captured moment.