I grew up in Berkeley, California, I was surrounded at home by my parents' cultural ambitions. My father, a painter and sculptor, taught painting and drawing at three different institutions in the bay area. My mother, with a degree in journalism, focused on literature and writing and metaphysics, in particular the famous clairvoyant Edg
I grew up in Berkeley, California, I was surrounded at home by my parents' cultural ambitions. My father, a painter and sculptor, taught painting and drawing at three different institutions in the bay area. My mother, with a degree in journalism, focused on literature and writing and metaphysics, in particular the famous clairvoyant Edgar Cayce.
At home my sister and I were exposed to classical music, good literature and ideas.
Our parents divorced when I was nine, my father moved to New York City and I entered a phase of deep depression and frustration. My mother was no help.
After many years of exploration in various media (illustration, sewing, designing furniture and more) I studied animation. This pursuit was severely truncated after many years by the death of the man I chose to study with in graduate school and then the change from handmade to computer assisted animation.
With four children of my own I began to make them Halloween masks which slowly improved each year. Eventually they outgrew them but I did not.
The masks became art statements and then slowly became painted sculpture.
I began to make art seriously around 1965 while visiting my dad in his studio in the East Village in New York City. I had explored drawing and illustration, as well as sewing, making many garments that I wore for years. Later, I transitioned to making furniture, but my initial step was crafting sandals, inspired by the products of a local
I began to make art seriously around 1965 while visiting my dad in his studio in the East Village in New York City. I had explored drawing and illustration, as well as sewing, making many garments that I wore for years. Later, I transitioned to making furniture, but my initial step was crafting sandals, inspired by the products of a local sandal maker. In high school, I delved into creating jewelry and building musical instruments. Though I had always loved movies I settled on animation as my focus in art school.