About

My Story

Getting somewhat of a late start, my artistic path didn't really take shape until I was about 30 years old - when I picked up a book by Juliette Aristides on Classical Painting which opened my eyes to the meaningful world of classical art. I was hooked, pouring over every book and video I could get on the subject.

While I was able to find some good instruction locally in Southern California, by way of Watts Atelier and some wonderful classes with Joseph Todorovitch, I found I couldn't fully get the instruction I craved that focused on the Old Masters and longer studies over 3 hours. Trying to coordinate long pose life drawing/painting sessions in my area was... a headache. Everyone seemed to want to do 5-20 minute poses. But that's a story for another time.

So I had to make do with what I had since attending an atelier in NYC or Italy just wasn't financially in the cards for me. Fortunately, the internet had a wealth of high quality Old Master images I could study and learn from. So I got to work and spent 4 years doing almost exclusively Old Master copies as an academic learning process. Painting, drawing, drawing paintings, painting drawings, renaissance, baroque and academic painters, you name it. While at first I found them tedious, I eventually fell in love once I started to see how much I was improving and learning about fundamentals, process and technique.

Finally, I was introduced to online mentorship with Stephen Bauman - which basically supercharged my growth. Having a more seasoned eye to point out my weaknesses was incredibly useful.

Through my struggles and experiences, I've found my mission as an instructor, to be a resource for others that were like me - unable to attend formal education - but willing to do whatever it takes to make their dreams a reality. I hope I can be that resource for you.