I owe a debt of gratitude, certainly to the history of art, but specifically to the individuals who nourished my creativity, and with generosity of spirit, helped me find my way in the world of painting.
My mother Nancy was a very talented artist who encouraged me and introduced me to oil painting when I was 6 years old. Her death at age 38 from cancer, only spurred me to continue what we started together. Her spirit lives on in my work.
My father was a doctor who never stood in my way, despite his scientific orientation. He made sure, that as a child, I had the art supplies I needed, and as I continued painting and gaining momentum as an artist, became a strong supporter of my efforts.
At the age of 13, my family was living in the artists colony of Safed, Israel, a thriving community of mostly European artists 20 to 50 years my elders. Among these generous artists I discovered friends, mentors, and a connection to the practical side of the artists life. They were first generation Fauvists, Impressionists, Avant Garde painters, sculptors, and powerful personalities who welcomed me into their studios where I watched them at work, and conversed with them about their lives and thoughts. Keep in mind I was a youngster who knew nothing about anything but enthusiasm.
I will name these people here that their generosity to me be acknowledged.
Marusia Hadgadya, Lea Nikel, Hanna Levy, Leo Kahn, Irene Awret, Azriel Awret, Chaim Nahor. There were many others who added to my life in their own ways. Art is a continuum, not an individual construct. My art has been formed by the art that came before me, and that which is happening now.
In America, I was shown the methodology of Alla Prima Portraiture by Marvin Moyer, and John Howard Sanden. Ben Wade in Taos had a profound effect on my grasp of truthful personal expression. The Taos Modernists whom I was fortunate to meet continued the momentum that began in Safed decades ago.