Biography

I was born in Queens, New York. My early grade school years were spent in Coney Island, Brooklyn during the early 1980’s. Our apartment was across the street from the beach and I spent my time on the boardwalk, on the sand or among the waves of the Atlantic. I had some years as an only child until my sister came along, followed by my brother. My father was an artist and a mechanic. My mother is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.
In late September of 1986 my father passed. We moved into the family home in South Ozone Park, Queens, followed by a year living in Ponce, Puerto Rico. We returned to Queens, the family house and I lived there until about 1998.
I began working after High School. I moved out at 19. I married at 20. I divorced at 26. My professional work includes a 12 year career in retail. Mainly housewares, furniture, and culinary. Along the way I lived in 6 U.S cities and visited 48 states. The decade I had spent working, living, driving, wandering cities and the countryside is reflected in my work and who I am now.
My current time is spent homeschooling, shopping for groceries and cooking. I help maintain a small property where we live. I live, breathe and create in Queens.

My best friend and wife of 15 years is a Librarian. We enjoy time well spent with our daughter, being outdoors, the beach, local parks, trails and road trips. We explore all things local and we make a point to embrace each season with regards to outdoor activities. Most of our meals are spent at home but when we dine out it’s usually Flushing or Elmhurst. During beach season you can find me at Rockaway Beach or Jacob Riis State Park in Queens, on the sand, in a tent or among the waves of the Atlantic with my family.









Materials. Process & Inspiration.

Line Compositions -

Materials - Bristol paper. Prismacolor pen. Micron pen. Straight edge drafting ruler. Triangle. Assorted templates.

I work on Bristol paper with fine line pens. I start by positioning a triangle and straight edge ruler and attempt to pull a line - vertical or horizontal. Sometimes I begin with a circle template. I find a place that feels right and consider its position as it relates to further lines or shapes. From either start I’m building a structure to support the detail and feeling. I look to create focal points, places of tension, space for a riot of colors or a runway for a line to extend into the infinite. I work towards each piece representing a general impression of basic lines and shapes, movement and detail. I usually start with an overall idea or impression of something that I’ve imagined; something I myself wanted to see. That being said, working in ink removes the ability for correction. I’ve learned to embrace adaptation and the unexpected.
The end result of each piece reflects the process. It reflects my imperfections, improvisation, correction and my struggle to reach a conclusion. I’ve learned that perfection only exists in my imagination while being in the moment; being present and involved is when I feel grounded.

My line compositions are influenced by my travels, cities I’ve lived in and my study of Art Deco pattern, motif, style and design.

Illustrations -

Materials - Ticonderoga pencil. Prismacolor pen. Prismacolor marker. Mircon pen. Bristol paper.

My creative time is at night. I put the hours in on whatever piece I have on the desk or on the easel. I feel as though I should make more time to sketch and draw. There is something to just letting the hand be free with a pencil or pen minus the guidance of a tool for a line composition or brush for a painting. I have much admiration for artists that have a beautiful hand for renderings or illustrations; it looks as though they create effortlessly. But I also understand that aside from natural talent they make the time to focus on that medium. I am not as naturally talented. However, when I do just draw or illustrate, my intent is to share something stylistically unique regardless of the subject.

Paintings -

Materials - Acrylic paint. Posca Marker. Canvas.

I have memories of my father in front of a canvas. We are in the living room and it smells like oil paint, pipe tobacco or sometimes a cigarette. The balcony doors are open and the scent of ocean air mixes in. Music is coming out from the floor speakers, we are listening to his vinyl record collection. I’m on the rug playing with a few figures; Star Wars, GI-Joe, the random Flash I unearthed while digging in the sand. I had a well worn Millennium Falcon that we found one morning on the way to school, someone thought to leave it atop a pile of black trash bags. That night we soaked it in the bathtub and I scrubbed it with a bar of soap.

My current work on Canvas is of the last 5 years. Future work and focus will include abstraction.

Photography -

Camera -Nikon D3500.
Lenses - Nikkor 50mm . Tokina 11-20mm. Nikkor 18-55mm. Nikkor 70-300mm.

I print pictures. During the Summer of 1992, my cousin Isa and I were spending a month with Titi Liz in South Florida when Hurricane Andrew came through and reset the landscape. We were on a plane back to NYC within 10 days, but the experience of living without power afterwards instilled in me the idea that without a hardcopy of anything, if it’s not tangible, if you can’t hold or look at it when the power is out, it does not exist. Like most, I have a smartphone and it takes beautiful pictures that are easy to edit and share. However, for me the real value of a picture is being able to print it. I curate photos for print, keepsakes to mark the occasion for myself, my wife and my little one to look back on. I encourage everyone and anyone to take all of the pictures, but also take the time to print a physical copy. When the power goes out you will have that album or box of photographs, something tangible to sift through by candlelight.

For photography I use my Nikon D3500. I am exploring and looking for subjects, categories, places that I experience in the moment. I do my best to share whatever feels inspired without any heavy alteration. This usually involves urban and natural landscapes, wildlife, and places that I actively engage or spend time in. I am also currently exploring shooting portraits of family and friends. I avoid using filters or heavy editing unless I’m zoomed in on detail. I am always looking to bring out something unseen. I use the HP Photo 7155 printer for personal photos. For art prints and photography I use a Canon Pro-200 printer.