Autobiography
In 1983, I made my home and place of work in Riverside, California. Prior to that, I resided in Los Angeles, California. Since 1963, I have made use of, been subjected to, and survived, an array of psychiatric treatments, interventions and services. For a time I was wedded to psychiatry as a source of hope.
Simultaneously, I studied fine art and art history at Los Angeles City College and Santa Monica College. The first six years of intense study, I rendered in black, white and half-tones. The black and white paintings reproduced on this website are examples of work done at that time. Since coming to Riverside, I have pursued painting in acrylics, pastels, watercolor and oils, which are also shown on this website.
I have struggled to learn how to express my experiences in a way that is comprehendable. In my early teens, I began keeping journals and writing poetry. I served most recently as the senior editor of The Thermometer Times, the monthly publication of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). I worked in this capacity from 2004, until my retirement in August, 2014.
In 2007 I published my first book, Camarillo State Hospital: Snapshot of an Era, a collection of poems and prose written in 1966-1967 while a patient.
My second book, On Becoming Human: A Memoir, was published in 2013. It is reviewed on this website.
Art allows me to concentrate my efforts to integrate my mind, body and spirit. It gives structure, focus and meaning to my life. Studying fine art and art history has connected me to my roots as a human being and has put me in touch with kindred spirits over millennia. Drawing, painting and writing has encouraged me to make acquaintances and friends who have helped to bring me out of emotional seclusion.
I strive to realize the aesthetic goals of fine art through my painting, drawing, and writing, while attempting to show the connection and relationship between me and the world around me. I allow the art work to develop and reflect a connection and a relationship between the medium, the subject, and me. I depict what I experience as it is filtered through my senses, rather than rendering photographic realism.
Most of all, I wish to create art work that has a beneficial effect on the viewer or reader. I desire to give a message of hope to those feeling hopeless. Art has done this for me. I want to show others, who suffer, another way out of pain.
Revised: December 4, 2016