Why I Paint

I took a winding road to becoming a painter. In elementary school I was known as the “Class Artist.” The school principal wanted me to go to the arts high school, but my mother would not agree to that. So, I went to a vocational high school and took courses in aeronautics. Upon graduation I enlisted in the army and continued studying airplanes which led to my being a crew chief for planes in Korea.

 

Once back in the states, I had several jobs, but kept leaning toward the arts. I became a display director (with no training) for a department store in New Jersey. I seemed to have an eye for color and design. Other display directors came to look at my windows.

 

Display directing led me to wanting to study art. I enrolled in an art education program. After graduation I was employed as an art teacher in Stamford High School eventually becoming the Arts Department Head.   Meanwhile, (with the support of my wife) I continued studying art by taking my masters in art education. I was also painting on my own.  

 

I paint because I want to create something that is uniquely mine, a painting that no one else has done, not the subject, not the composition, not the colors. After forty years of painting, ninety per cent of my work is non-objective. I am free to use the shapes, composition and colors I find to develop my art. Painting brings me joy.