I  was born in Imperia Italy, on the Italian Riveria in 1956.  I have no idea when the love of art entered my soul, but I know it was at a very early age.  I lived in an orphanage until I was about four years old.  My brother Franco and I were adopted by two wonderful people, Frank and Caroline, in New York City in November of 1960.  I believe it was in those very early years that I fell in love with art and art fell in love with me. 

 I always painted and drew sketches as a young boy and attended Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama on an art scholarship.  I still knew very little about what art really was even though I majored in Art, and I was exposed to it all the time.  I was often told by artists that were well in their 60's and 70's that it took a long time for their art to be "mature" and for them to be content with their work.  I never knew what that meant, but I do now.  It was during this time I realized how powerful art and photography were and I knew they were in my blood.  I studied under Dr. Belle of Huntingdon College and we had many discussions on what "art" was and was not.  She once told me that I had to "sing the blues", and  when the time came, I would know.  It took 30 years for that to happen.  It was also at this point that I fell in love with photography.

 

I later went on to study at the Portfolio Center in Atlanta, Georgia and then the Art Institute of Charlotte, North Carolina. I learned a great deal working with Bob Griffin and managing his art gallery, Picture House Gallery.  I saw how diverse art is and how it changes an entire home, especially the entire mood of a home.  Anyone who has ever known me will tell you that every place I have lived has had the walls adorned with beautiful art.

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Through some rough patches in my life, the typical living in your car and tough curveballs that are thrown at you, I have finally made a full commitment to my art and have done so for many years now.  My legacy will be my art and I hope it gives pleasure to those who see it for as long as it will be seen.

 

I have two to three basic styles.  I tend to paint heavy impasto landscapes, still lifes, and abstracts.  I do flat, and smooth brushwork as well. 

 

I reside in Ash, a small town in North Carolina, and consider this incredible area as my home.  I have two wonderful daughters, Rachael and Callie, who are my strength and my love.