Illinois
What inspired your winning entry? I have been intrigued lately by the dramatic patterns of light and dark generated by rainy city nocturnes. And since we have no shortage of rain in Chicago, it’s easy to come up with references.
How would you describe your style? Impressionistic—except that I’m breaking the edges rather than the color.
If you weren’t an artist, what would you be? Given that this is my third career, probably one of the other two. I made my living as a musician until I was 35. Then I went into business and ended up founding an investment consulting firm. Ten years ago, I transitioned to being a full-time artist.
Where did you study art? I started out as an art major at the University of Illinois, but later I switched to psychology with a business minor. I went back to the American Academy of Art in Chicago in 1991 and went to their Saturday program every week for eight years. I also took workshops from masters like Dan Gerhartz, Richard Schmid, and Harley Brown.
What inspires you to paint a scene? Since I paint mostly figurative work, there is usually some kind of implied narrative. I often start to imagine the model as a character in a romantic movie, and that seems to shape my emotional response. If I’m painting a cityscape, I’m usually struck by some emotional mood.
What galleries represent your work? Total Arts Gallery, Taos, NM; New Masters Gallery, Carmel, CA; Eisele Gallery of Fine Art, Cincinnati, OH; Reinert Fine Art Gallery, Charleston, SC, and Blowing Rock, NC; Illume Gallery of Fine Art, St. George, UT.
This story was featured in the December 2018 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art December 2018 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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