'Few words' from the artist:
Many would assume that I have had fortunate opportunities and will continue this progression. I have accumulated significant experiences and possessions over the years, however, I would say that Over the years I have been removing obstacles towards my relentless pursuit of artistic merit and improving my life towards this goal. My art has sustained me through difficult times, however my dedication to my artistic career has eliminated decisions that would impede this development. I have been an artist all my life. My first art work was selected for Lever House at age five from P.S. 6, Bronx, N.Y. Grade 1. As many artists have been, I was selected and honored throughout early years until now. My High School senior project was a children's educational interdisciplinary project adopted for the New York City Public Schools with Art and Literature and Crafts.
It seems to me that I am reawakening and recycling my earliest interests and creative urges. I was raised in N.Y.C., graduated from Spring Valley Senior High School, Rockland County. Cornell University. (Environmental Design and Early Childhood Education.) In those Institutions I was able to excel in the expressive and plastic arts.
My grandparents and parents encouraged my interests by taking me and my brothers to museums and concert halls. I remember Leonard Bernstein's young peoples concert series. Nureyev dancing, Rembrant's Aristotle contemplating Homer and Da Vinci's Mona Lisa the first time they were exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My grandmother enrolled me in dance classes at Carnegie Hall where I was told that I could hurt myself (not my natural affinity), so off I went to the old MOMA for Childrens art lessons and the Museum of Natural History, more compatible interest.
I repeated these exercises with my two daughters, Meredith and Alison - as most do I struggled with choices of staying home to raise them or continuing to work (at the time in Human Resources and Personal Management.)
I was fortunate enough to have a husband who could support us while I did freelance compensation and benefits projects, and did photography at the New School, painted with my daughters and their toddler friends at the 92nd Street Y Pre-school or at homes around the city - Meredith attended the Dalton School, Alison at Trinity. I threw myself into full time art and creative mothering.
I also worked as a freelance writer for songs, operas and advertising projects. We moved to Tokyo, Japan for two and one half years where I studied Japanese art, taught High School speech and debate at the American School in Japan and ran art shows.
I continued my art studies back in N.Y. as a docent and a development assistant at the museum of Modern Art while enrolled at the Art Students League and The O'Neill School for Decorative Arts. I continued to receive awards and enormous encouragement in my endeavors from my mentors; Richard Pousette Dart, William Scharf, Knox Martin, Janos Gat, Monique Goldstrom, Tess O'Dwyer - Whitney Museum and Edward Evans.
Unfortunately, my ex-husband could not tolerate my passionate joy and attention to the "useless" pursuit of art.The more I developed as an artist the more we grew apart. I divorced in 1999 after he gave me an ultimatum "art or marriage". Although I have the money to live, I throw every extra penny toward my studies and project expenses.
Both of my children "followed in my footsteps". Allison received top honors at Hewitt School and Top Awards in the Fine Arts and was accepted to Skidmore and Cornell. Meredith graduated with honors in Creative Writing ,Wheaton College and is at the Stella Adler Conservatory for acting.
One of the most life changing events for me was really my daughter Allison's illness and eventual death from Hodgkins Disease at 19 years old.
It's taken me the last few years to get back on my feet; now I can concentrate on accelerated progress.