Multi-prize winning photographer, illustrator, fractal artist, and juried member of the Illinois Artisans Association. My images have sold at galleries, art fairs and as stock.
Looking back, it now seems obvious to me that my odyssey with art was born as a rebellion against my mother. She abhored any kind of creative or individual expression, preferring the life of a chameleon--blending in and being agreeable were her mantras--and I spent my youth doing the opposite. But, as a result of her unwanted "influence," it wasn't until I was in my mid-thirties that I realized I had an artistic bent. It happened when I purchased a good 35mm SLR camera. I never do things half-heartedly, so at the same time I bought the camera I purchased a dark room set up. With my first roll of film I was hooked. I still have some of the images from that shoot--and when I look at them, it's with nostalgia and gratitude that I finally discovered my true self.
I went on to join 4 camera clubs in the Albany, NY area (my home at the time), and began consistently winning the monthly club competitions, some PSA competitions and showing/selling prints at art fairs. Mind you, this was in the '70s. I moved back to my original home in Chicago in the '80s and career concerns occupied most of my time. Then in the late '90s I found I was missing the creative "spark," (and hating my work, but needing the income), so I took up my camera again (now a digital), discovered fractal programs on the computer, was juried into the Illinois Artisans Association, and displayed/sold prints at various local galleries. I'm now thankfully retired from the rat race, but not retired from creativity. My current passion is turning my photos into fine art via Corel Painter.
