| I was born in 1951 in Oakland, California. My interest in art likely started by seeing the portrait paintings done by my Grandmother. I would say they were early twentieth century American realist paintings.
They were so large and natural that it was difficult to get undressed in front of them when I was young.
My second great impression came from seeing for the first time a slide of a Salvador Dali painting, "Sleep", in High School art class. Dali paintings had quite an influence on me for many years. It was Paul Brach at the California Institute of the Arts that really helped open my eyes to modern artists other than Surrealists. High School, Junior College, and the California Institute of the Arts taught me art history, film history and music. Technique in fine art oil painting was surely lacking in the schools I attended. I think in some circles it was considered out moded. My conclusion was to learn from old treatises and what modern books containing useful information I could obtain. The technique to paint abstract concepts realistically was what I was, at the time, looking for. |