Artist Statement
Personal memories have often been a fruitful source of subject matter for artists for centuries. I too have focused my attention on locations that have been memorable to me throughout my life. Some of these places I have recalled from my youth, while others I have experienced more recently.
During the '40s and '50s, I was raised in greater Boston and spent many summers vacationing in the Scituate-Marshfield area. As I revisited these places, I realized how much our local environment is enriched with quaint harbors, aging, decaying boatyards and seaside cottages that echo an era long gone by.
In Scituate, I was attracted to the waterfront and the fleet of fishing trawlers whose rusty, cluttered decks provided rich material. These boats had character, and the play of sunlight and shadow on their unpainted forms paid tribute to these rugged vessels.
Boston, with its irregular skyline, active structure, and uniquely memorable settings, has always been of interest to me. My objective in these paintings is to be intimate and concerned with the monotonous regularity found in the city streets.
Like Edward Hopper, I search local architecture for unusual structures with these fantastic roofs, eye-searing colors or delicate harmonies of faded paint. My intent is to dramatize these places with the expressive color and exaggerated textures.
In keeping with "practicing what I teach," I try to experiment with various techniques and mediums and to explore places that are new as well as remembered.