I was born in Western New York, a place known for breathtaking gorges as well as Niagara Falls, one of the wonders of world. From my early exposure to the natural world I grew to revere the passionate individuals who study, preserve, and shape it — from landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmstead, who designed Buffalo’s park system, to Theodore Roosevelt, who was inaugurated in Buffalo and gave us the National Park system, and for whom I named my son.
Upon moving to Los Angeles to attend college at age 16, I was exposed to new landscape forms including Pacific beaches and dry-rock deserts. There I earned my B.A. from the University of Southern California, where I studied philosophy and cinema. Subsequently moving north to attend law school in San Francisco, I earned a J.D. from Golden Gate University. Unsure of which coast I preferred, I secured law licenses in New York and California. For nearly two decades, I practiced entertainment and intellectual property law before mustering the courage to focus on my own art.
A passion for nature still permeates every aspect of my life. I have been a Girl Scout, an Outward Bound participant, and a Cub Scout den leader in order to pass this wonder along. I thrive on camping, hiking, and open water swimming. I feel there is no greater inspiration than when immersed in the outdoors.
My artistic influences span from famed naturalist John James Audubon to artist Damien Hirst’s unflinching examinations of Nature’s grimmer mien.
I work mainly in watercolors, gouache, oil paints and colored pencils. While predominantly a wildlife artist, my driving principle is to limn the natural world in all its splendid complexity.