I am 46 years old, originally from New York City, and essentially self taught as an artist. (I hold a degree in literature from the University of California Santa Barbara. ) For the past 6 years I have made my living as an artist and art teacher, running one of the largest private drawing studios in the Bay Area. There are eight groups, 4 with instruction, which I teach, and 4 non-instructional drawing sessions. Over 130 artists draw there each week.
The essence of what I teach and the context out of which these works were created is focused on process versus product. I am referring to the act of perception and the process of drawing as a physical reaction to visual experience. This artwork is not concerned with representing much in the traditional sense of being symbolic or conceptual in a way that might purport to represent an idealogy or philosophy, political or otherwise: rather, these pieces are about the struggle to engage experience.
They explore the experience of both vision and mark making/image building in as pure and intense way as possible; freed of preconception, formula, habit and intention. I don't know what form these drawings will take until they are done. They are not the product of a technique- that is, a formula of response consciously put into play. They are essentially anti-technique in nature. They are about extending the range of sensitivity, response and expression so that experience is allowed to manifest through the broadest range of one's individual sensibilities and capabilities. They are about reaction rather than calculation; response rather than intention. They are in every sense a collaboration with what is being seen (generally another human) and also a collaboration with the process of drawing itself; the possibilities and limitations of the medium, and interacting with the evolving image which is allowed to develop in a way that is neither formulaic nor predictable.
To this degree the drawings do represent a philosophy. This might be expressed as the effort to live in a way that is not circumscribed by desensitizing habits, formulas, assumptions, and rigidity - the things that reduce experience to something predicatable, safe and controllable. That mute it. That numb us and distance us from our own lives. For me drawing is about a place where I can explore a deeper level of connection and intimacy with experience. A connection that can be ellusive in many other aspects of living.

 

The following is a partial list of where I have shown my work during the last five years:
	1991		group show - Fort Mason art Center. San Francisco
	1992		one man show - City Gallery, San Francisco group show - Fort Mason Art Center, San Francisco group show -Gatehouse Gallery, San Francisco group show SOMAR Gallery, San Francisco group show-Artifacts Gallery, San Francisco numerous one man and group shows- 23rd St . Gallery, San Francisco
	1993		group show - Opts Art Gallery, San Francisco numerous one man and group shows 23rd St. Gallery
	1994		cover art, frontispiece YMCA auction - Sunrise Gallery, S.F. commissioned wall mural - 1994 Designers Showcase, Stonehouse, S.F. commissioned monoprint series - AMD headquarters, Palo Alto featured speaker "Art, creativity and health" for Creating Health conference, San Francisco wall mural: Agnes Bourne Showroom numerous one man and group shows 23rd St. Gallery
	1995		group show - Art Gallery, San Francisco State group show - Richmond Art Center
	1996		set design; (10' x 30' mural) dance performance by the Erica Essner Performance Group - Theatre Artaud, San Francisco numerous one man and group shows 23rd St. Gallery
	1997		San Francisco Open Studios Gallery show 23rd St Gallery one man and group shows
	1998		Emmy Smock Gallery: group show:"Merav"