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After receiving a standard regents diploma from Carmel High School I went on to study fine arts at SUNY New Paltz. Under the primary tutalage of Amy Cheng and Kathy Goodell, I fleshed out my technical skills in drawing and oil painting. It was also at this time that I was awakened to and studied the state of contemporary art ( which has turned out to be mostly bullshit ). While I still painted throughout my four years of college I found the most personal success in the creation of many sketchbooks and a dabbling in graffiti. For me, these modes seemed to be less pretentious than oil painting. They were the most honest outlet for expression. It was this notion of art needing to be honest that led me back to painting through the use of acrylics and aerosol cans because their fast drying time allowed me to paint at a speed which is faster than the time it takes me to become self-concious about a piece in progress. All of my experience in New Paltz culminated in a solo show at the student art gallery where the viewing of paintings, sketchbooks, and live skateboarding performed on spray painted ramps took place. I left New Paltz with a B.S. in visual arts. On June 2nd of 2002 I moved to Buffalo, New York to live with Colin Hargraves, a life time painter/videomaker friend, Calder Greenwood, and John Logan. All four of us having just graduated college we intended to open a gallery for painting and media works by renting out a three story building in downtown Buffalo on Ellicott Street. After recruiting the help of Brian Milbrand, Anna Lavatelli, Nick Golebiewski, Jen Roth, and later Alan Rhodes, the Kamikaze was open for shows in September of 02'. It was at the Kamikaze shows that I undertook the role of hosting the events and experimenting with performance art on top of the constant production of paintings and drawings. To learn more about the Kamikaze visit it's website at www.kamikazeproductions.org. After six sold out multimedia events we gave up the building so that members could pursue other carreer opurtunities. After the demise of the downtown location two other shows were put on at Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center and the Squeaky Wheel media center. At a total of 8 shows later the group was laid to rest. Local art celebrity Tony Conrad was kind enough to dedicate a music performance at Soundlab to the Kamikaze saying it was a strong and important force in the Buffalo art scene. Presently I live in a house with Buffalo video maker Jody LaFond where I continue to paint and draw when I am not sleeping in too late or playing with Lilly, Jody's dog. |
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