Biography

I was born in Peekskill, NY in 1946 and grew up as an only child in what was at the time very rural Putnam County, NY. I spent as much of my time as I could outdoors. Due to a succession of childhood illnesses, I attended little of the first three years of elementary school and so I taught myself to read, which I did nonstop throughout most of my childhood.

I received my BA in English with an Art minor from the State University of New York at Albany in January 1969. I have worked at various occupations, some gainful and some not, including poet, cinematographer, 16mm film editor, proofreader, paste up artist, sound recordist, newspaper photographer, graphic artist and commercial photographer. I have assisted advertising photographers working for varied clients including Mikasa, IBM, Durkee Foods, and the NFL. I have two books to my credit: Smut by Candlelight — 13 poems, self published in 1968, and The Oblong to the Hudson, 1976, which sold successfully despite being published by a shoppers guide. I won an American Film Festival’s Golden Camera Award in 1971 for photomation cinematography and have had fine art photography exhibited at various venues in the Hudson Valley and upstate New York from 1974 to the present.

Current and future projects include limited edition books of my fine art photography. The first in this series was Sense of Touch, February 2005.

Chronology

1960
I had not the slightest inkling of future involvement with graphic arts while setting metal type by hand in a junior high school shop class.

1968
Self published book of poetry while student at SUNY Albany: Smut by Candlelight —13 Poems.

1969
BA English (art minor) SUNY Albany. My first “real job” was with Stuart Gellman Editorial Service, NYC, as messenger and general assistant. Approved 35mm and 16mm color corrections at major NYC film labs for Chevrolet, Lysol, Breck and Mars Candy TV spots.

1970
Staff assistant film editor, 35mm slide photographer, location sync sound recordist at Warren Schloat Productions, a Prentice Hall subsidiary in the Westchester ’burbs. Continued free lancing until 1974.

Assistant Editor on The Fayette Story, documentary by Schloat Productions about Medgar Evers’s brother Charles. The Fayette Story aired on WNET, Channel 13, NYC.

1971
Golden Camera Award for The Punishment Fits the Crime photomation cinematography for Schloat Productions.

Graduate course in film production, SUNY New Paltz.

1972
Photographs on exhibit at Village Gallery, Croton-on-Hudson, NY

1974
A part time night shift proofreader job leads to becoming Art Production manager in charge of art, proofreading and page layout departments at Yorktown Printing Corporation, publisher of largest weekly circulation shoppers guide on the East Coast. Production management services and creation of promotional materials continued on contractor basis through 1982.

Cover and graphics for In the Lion House, a book of poems by Irish poet Daniel Reardon.

1976
Photographs on exhibit at Westchester Photographers Show, Ossining, NY

Publication of The Oblong to the Hudson completes a two year project of research and photography in New York’s Hudson valley. The 96 page book of text and photos of 84 Hudson Valley historic sites was published by Yorktown Printing Corporation.

1978
Lobby exhibit at Putnam Photography Laboratory, Mahopac, NY.

Photography and design for Wildflavor, a regional rock music magazine.

Staff photographer at 1978, 1979, and 1980 Clearwater Sloop Festivals, Croton Point, NY.

1978-1979
NYS Advertising Publishers Council Awards for promotional ads done for Yorktown Printing.

1980
Converted old barn into small product photography studio in Putnam Valley, NY. Filed DBA certificate in Putnam County, NY, to do business as Words and Pictures.

1982–1986
Studio assistant for Klem Design, Rye Brook, NY. Assisted photographer Bernard Klem, designer Larry Laslo, and food stylists with flatware, glassware, props, and food on location at Mikasa (Secaucus, NJ) and Klem Design photo studio (Greenwich, CT).

1986–1994
Studio and location assistance for photographer William Briggs at Clarion Marketing Communications, Glenville, CT, on a wide variety of studio and location assignments (FSIs, Catalogs, Slide shows) for IBM, Pepsi, Heublein, UPS, Hubbel Electric, Gilette, James River Paper, American Brands, NFL, and others.

1987
Catalog product photography of guitars for ENC Media’s client, Steinberger Sound.

1994
Worked for MacTemps, Stamford, CT, as graphic production artist with Dougherty & Dougherty Graphic Design, Cos Cob, CT for World Wildlife Federation (Bronx Zoo), Lincoln Foods, IBM, Indigo Printing Systems.

1995–2002
Consultant at Bayer Diagnostics, Tarrytown, NY: Layouts and graphic production art for thousands of diagnostic system reagent labels, inserts, and packaging die cuts in five languages, conforming to international standards, packaging production constraints and corporate graphic guidelines. Worked with corporate Quality Assurance and Regulatory professionals, packaging engineers and outside vendors.

1996
Began photographing Tool series in Putnam Valley, NY studio.

1998
Moved to Edinburg, NY in the southern Adirondacks, on 27 forested acres just inside the Park boundary line.

1999
Began printing black and white and color with two Epson 1280 inkjet printers, modified to accept archival pigment ink.

2002
Purchased first digital camera (Fuji S2 Pro).

2003
Prints on exhibit at Perrella Gallery's 2003 Works on Paper Regional at Fulton Montgomery College, Johnstown, NY.

2004
Prints on exhibit at Sacandaga Valley Arts Network, Northville, NY Library; Caroga Museum, Caroga Lake, NY; Saratoga County Arts Council, Saratoga Springs, NY; Perella Gallery Works on Paper Regional, Johnstown, NY (Juror’s Choice Award for Sanford Farms Shopping Center).

Purchased Epson 4000 inkjet printer.

2005
Prints on exhibit at Albany Center Galleries Regional Photographers Exhibit; Exhibition by Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region (Juror's Award); Art at the Inn, Northville, NY; SVAN Artists 2005 and Works on Paper Regional, Perrella Gallery, Johnstown, NY.

Permanent lobby display of antique tool prints, Town Hall, Edinburg, NY.

10-copy limited edition, 16-page hand made book: Sense of Touch.

2006–2013
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed teaching as adjunct faculty instructor at Mildred Elley Career College in Albany, NY until the department closed down in 2013.

2006
Chosen by the Edinburg Historical Society and the Town of Edinburg, NY to make a series of ten 20 inch wide prints of images from their collection of late nineteenth and early twentieth century photographs. Scans and extensive restoration resulted in permanent exhibit of matted and framed warm-tone inkjet prints at the Town Hall.

Prints on exhibit: Antique tools, landscapes and florals on winter display at Inn at the Bridge, Northville, NY. Eight prints on display at Northville Library, March. Florals on exhibit at Exposed Gallery of Art Photography, Delmar, NY, June.

2007
Winter exhibit at Inn at the Bridge, Northville, NY (December 2006–May 2007): Landscapes and still lifes.

Fourth year of work on exhibit at Works on Paper Regional, Perrella Gallery, Johnstown, NY.

2008
Solo show opens Feast Gallery, Beekman Street Art District in Saratoga Springs, NY with 25 prints of tools and panoramas.

Five prints on exhibit at Rural Visions: Photographs of Country Life group exhibit, Chapel & Cultural Center, Troy, NY.

Workshop: "Photographying Your Art" at Lower Adriondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC)

September 2008–January 2010: Adjunct instructor at Adirondack Community College, Queensbury, NY.

Juror's first place award at Perrella Gallery 2008 Works on Paper, Johnstown, NY for Rose Campion.

September: "Meet the Artist" presentation opens solo show at Sacandaga Valley Arts Network (SVAN).

2009
January: Excellence in Teaching Award from Mildred Elley.

August: "Off Track" Group show at Feast Gallery, Saratoga Springs.

2010
August: "Photographing Your Art" workshops at Sacandaga Valley Arts Network (SVAN) and Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC).

September: "Natural Settings" solo show at Feast Gallery, Saratoga Springs.

October: Three "Winter Nights" prints accepted for display at 2010 Artists of the Mowhawk Hudson Region exhibit at the Hyde Museum, Glens Falls, NY.
October 2010 to January 2011.

August and December: Five prints purchased by Nathan LIttauer Hospital, Gloversville, NY.

Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region, Hyde Museum, October 2010–January 2011: Three prints of Winter Plants series

2011
Summer Saturday workshops at SVAN: "Introduction to Digital Photography" and "Introduction to Photoshop Elements."
Elements workshop repeated and expanded to two Saturday sessions on October 15 and 22.

2012-13
Ongoing display of prints at Orendaga Main Gallery, Northville, NY.

2013
Floral panoramas and tool prints on display in parlor, bar, and rooms at the restored Inn at the Bridge, Northville, NY.

35th Annual Photography Regional, Troy, NY, 2013: Two prints from Produce series.

2014
Buck Moon Arts Festival, Johnstown, NY, July 2014: Juror’s Award: Ant City Ruins, South.

2016-17
Nuts, Bolts + Beyond: Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy, NY; Nov. 2016-May 2017. Entrepreneurial training.

2015-19
Workshops in basic digital photography, photographing flat art, small still lifes at Saratoga Arts, Saratoga Springs, NY.

Workshop in basic digital photography at Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy, NY.

2019
Detritus series of 7 prints in Passing Time group show at Saratoga Arts, Saratoga Springs, NY, May-June 2019.