This document summarizes the artistic journey and career of the author. It describes how he developed an early interest in art from his father and grandfather's careers as a designer and ironsmith. As a teenager, he took an art class that sparked his passion through a visit to a Jackson Pollock exhibition. He went on to study art extensively in college and graduate school while also working in jewelry design. Throughout his career, he has created both physical and digital artworks, using photography to capture scenes of light and reflection in nature. His work reflects his lifelong dedication to artistic expression and imagination.

1. REFLECTIONS: LIGHT & SHADOW
Some of my earliest memories are with pencil in
hand happily drawing away. I still recall the
intense concentration I felt as a boy trying to
capture the elegant, fearsome curved lines of an
ancient Hoplite helmet. This precocious
preoccupation came naturally. My father was a
gifted designer and trained as a draftsman in his
early career. His father, my grandfather and
namesake, was an ornamental ironsmith. I have a
few treasured smaller pieces of his such as the
golden gavel he designed and forged by hand.
"Beauty is the splendor of the True"

2. "The Art produced by an era is a measure of its social
and spiritual personality, and presents a graphic
record of the emotional and intellectual health of the
age ... Good education must develop imaginative,
sensitive, and inventive people, confident in their
ability to contribute actively to their society."
Hannah L. Hyams, M.Ed., Artist & Art Educator
The following was all possible due to the belief,
mentorship, and support of my intrepid Art Teacher,
Hannah Hyams: In 1969, I was 16 and in my final
year of secondary school. I chose the art class as
elective simply because I was “good” at drawing. As I
said to my parents, it was an “easy credit”. That first
term, our class went to the Museum of Montreal
Fine Arts to see a retrospective exhibition of Jackson
Pollack. The experience transformed me and set me
on my path.
By the end of that year, I’d won a national drawing
contest and bursary sponsored by the Eagle Pencil
Company. As well, I’d been given the first student art
exhibit at the School Board’s head office and one of
my multimedia pieces had been given as a retiring
gift to my school’s principal. Finally, I’d been granted
early acceptance to Pratt Institute based on the
strength of my application portfolio.

3. Art History & Studio
• In the ensuing years, I studied in some depth the history of
world art as well as the psychology of imagination and the
creative process. This was complemented by ongoing studio
practice including specialized courses in drawing, painting, print
making, sculpture, and ceramics at Pratt Institute, Dawson
College, Concordia University, and McGill University.

4. Praxis
During these years, I also worked as a
designer and merchandiser in the
jewellery industry. As a certified
gemologist [GIA] I saw first-hand how the
science and business of gemstones
brings visual acuity and aesthetic
appreciation to another level particularly
in relation to market dynamics.
I returned to University in 1984 part
time. My master’s thesis examined the
relation between fine art and the
marketplace focusing on Inuit carving.
My doctoral thesis elaborated on this
theme by studying how one community
of Kenyan stone carvers transmitted their
visual knowledge and craft to the next
generation.

5. Virtual Visual Voyages
• My virtual explorations started in 2003
with the purchase of a 3.5 pixel digital
camera. I was inspired by Buffy Ste.
Marie who said creating art on a
computer was like painting with light.
Each city and environs I’ve lived in has
provided inspiration either within my
domicile or on extended walks. I’ve
been truly fortunate that nature is
always around and abounding, from the
Ottawa River, to Stanley Park, and the
Toronto Harbor and Music Garden.

6. In my meanderings, I’m attuned to
noting any subtle interplay of light,
reflection, and shadow. Each
vignette that catches my eye is a
unique challenge. My goal is frame
what I see in my mind’s eye as
elegantly as possible. The beauty of
the digital image is that no matter
how complete it may be, it is like
wet paint on a canvas. In other
words, I love the ability to morph
the image or go back and work with
it in some way. Moreover, working
digitally enabled me to go back to
my work on paper and canvas and
capture it anew. This digital oeuvre
therefore represents the visual work
from the 1970s to 2014.
Reflections

7. Some of my Oeuvre

8. Imagination is the beating heart of
civilization and all human progress.
It moves outwards into
manifestation informing every act of
ingenuity - creativity, innovation,
and invention. This playful, curious,
open, and expansive spirit animates
the whole world with endless
possibility. Imagination is a limitless
source of inspiration and
wonderment in an ever-expanding
universe.
CREDO

9. “Imagine the image of a plant
reflected in a mirror. If we analyze
the material of that image, it would
be the substance of the mirror, not
really itself. But we could convince
ourselves that the image was real.
Everything we perceive with the
senses is like an image reflected on
a surface which we have created. It
is possible to free the image from
the surface so that it becomes what
it really is- an element of many
series in multiple dimensions. And it
is really only possible to effect the
meeting between the creature and
the Creator in this realm of the
"true" imagination where we can
open out into all that we really
are.”
Henri Corbin
CODA