It takes but a moment to change a life.

So it was when a family friend picked up a pebble from a gravel-covered road, placed it in my hand, and said the pink-colored rock was rose quartz. To a young kid who knew nothing about rocks pink or otherwise, this smooth looking gem staring up at me was a big deal. That moment in time became my first geology lesson. That moment in time led to all kinds of rock hunts. And later that moment in time inspired me to produce and exhibit oil paintings of rock materials.

For someone who liked to search for things, the “rose quartz” episode made me conjure up other ways to look for rock treasures underfoot. Rock hunt adventures followed wherever I went: gravel-strewn pathways, roadside trenches, my own backyard, and later, coastal and mountainous areas. My earliest rock hunt experiences began in Orange County, Upstate New York, especially during spring thaw when bits of rock poked through the softening top soil. "Leave no stone unturned" called out to me, challenging my young sensibilities to painstakingly extract rock after rock from their protective earthen hideaways. Most times I was never quite sure what I would find as I delicately brushed away the remaining soil clinging to each new discovery.

Another Upstate New York rock hunt involved an unexpected encounter with a fossil as I sifted through mounds of soil left over from a nearby house repair. That piled up earth was a perfect setting for dislodging a rather large dirt-covered rock which to my surprise revealed tiny seashells etched into its surface. My young mind dreamed up all kinds of reasons why this mysterious link to the past looked the way it did. How could shell-covered creatures once very much alive become trapped forever on this remnant of another place and time? Alas I never did learn more about my fossil’s origin and destiny. One could only begin to imagine how that fossil came to be. As for the fossil, it found a permanent home in my junior high school’s science display. As for the one who found the fossil, that thrill of discovery still prevails. Never again would I look at a rock without wondering where it came from, where it has been, where it may go.

Born in Brooklyn, New York and longtime resident of Northern California, it was clear from the start that whatever directions I chose in life, art and its related disciplines would surely play a significant role in guiding my decisions. My formal art training began at Queens College, City University of New York (Bachelor of Arts) where I focused on oil painting and developed a style that extended through many series. At Pratt Institute, NY (Master of Science) I continued to refine my painting skills and studied photography. Photography led to new worlds of seeing and collecting ideas for my paintings. Awarded an NDEA Title IV Fellowship, I earned a Doctor of Education degree at New York University. As an Assistant Professor I taught Art Education courses at The College of New Jersey, Ewing Township, NJ and at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA. My paintings are included in public, private and corporate collections. They have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions at commercial and public galleries and museums in California and on the East Coast.

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