Diane, seated on cushions Drawing

I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil. I’ve always been intrigued by the human figure. As a child, growing up in Connecticut, I would draw epic scenes of characters in space, underwater, or in fantastical worlds of my imagination. Comic books were readily available to me throughout my teens and I enthusiastically studied—and was inspired by—the mastery of technical skills and creative vision of the artists Buscema, Adams, Colan, and Byrne. Although I studied and graduated college with a degree in engineering, I continued to draw throughout that time. Ten months into my new engineering career I knew I wanted to commit full time to pursuing my passion for creating art. I was accepted into the fine arts program at Pratt Institute in NYC. I was fortunate in a particular teacher, Tom Orlando, who reinforced for me the essential idea of constant study. After Pratt I studied with Dave Passalacqua over a six-year period. These classes were easily the most beneficial to me and set me on the path that I am still on today. Dave pushed me to expand the ways in which I could visualize and interpret the human figure. Most importantly, he gave me the tools to discover how I draw, and not to emulate someone else—a priceless gift. The study and pursuit of creating art continues to be constant in my life. This includes regular sessions drawing from a model, studying other artist’s work, and looking at myriad disciplines for knowledge and inspiration. My recreational time is often spent poring over books, and visting galleries and museums across the country and abroad. My personal favorites—the artists I never tire of looking at—are Picasso, Matisse, Degas, Schiele, Sargent, and Lebrun. In general, my smaller-scale drawings are executed in pencil, or pen and ink. Larger drawings are executed in either willow charcoal, compressed charcoal, or pastel. All charcoal and pastel drawings are fixed.