Bio
I was born in Paterson, New Jersey… a Jersey Kid, the kind that grew up in the woods on a river, not on the shore or in town. I tell you this because woods, water, birds, feature in my work with a few dancing girls thrown in for good measure.
Anyway, if you were lucky, you learned to swim, rode your bike with abandon, and got an education… I was lucky. I finished college during the Vietnam War, also features in my work, and blew out of town to seek my fortune in Brazil. I found a job, illustrating articles for a plastic surgeon in Rio….samba in the background, and yes, lots of dancing!
I returned to the U.S., schooled more in art and science, then opened a painting studio in NYC with another artist. It was the culture bath of my life. I painted and made collage constructions, I called them, and went on dancing.
Fast forward, back in Paterson. Learning again…at a lumber and millwork business that had belonged to my dad and namesake Allan. This experience, the most challenging of my life, made my current life, making art, possible.
Mixed media… branches, shells, pebbles, cloth… painting, crayoning, collaging…. my work is liked by friends and strangers and resides in homes around the world.
I plan to go on making art, maybe even dancing, till I drop, which, if I am lucky, will be a long time from now.