I am a self-trained artist, classically-trained composer and classical guitarist. I consider myself an aesthete in the best sense of the word, a passionate lover of beauty and of the visual, performing and literary arts. Works in those various fields have the ability to enrich and uplift. With my own artistic efforts, I try my best to create paintings--and music--that do just that. Line, color, shape, texture, dynamics and form are elements of both painting and music composition. My goal with my painting is to incorporate my training as a composer to integrate the musical with the visual to create vibrant, colorful, aesthetically and emotionally impactful paintings. My first painting, done in oils, Il Mondo dei Sogni (The World of Dreams) was executed in 1973. After a haitus of almost 47 years, I returned to painting in January 2020. Working primarily in acrylics but on occasion in oils, I have over 100 paintings in my portfolio. Exhibitions: ▪ SaatchiArt's "The Other Art Fair" | Los Angeles, CA | February 2025 ▪ "The Holy Art" | Exhibit A Gallery | Los Angeles, CA | June 2025 ▪ Second Place Winner | Artio Gallery Juried International Group Exhibition “Beyond Borders” | Museu Europeu d’Art Modern | Barcelona | September 2025 ▪ SaatchiArt's "The Other Art Fair" | Los Angeles, CA | September 2025 I have my Bachelor of Music degree in composition, magna cum laude, from California State University Northridge where my primary composition teacher was the distinguished Cuban-American composer, Aurelio de la Vega. I also studied composition with Daniel Kessner and Frank Campo, classical guitar with George Vick and cello with Magaret Aue. I received my M.A. and Ph.D. in composition from UCLA where my primary composition teacher was the Bulgarian-American composer Henri Lazarof. My other teachers included Paul Reale and Paul Des Marais.
My String Quartet No. 1, "Homage al Maestro Aurelio" was composed in honor of my primary composition teacher and close friend, Dr. Aurelio de la Vega. It was specifically composed for de la Vega's 90th birthday concert presented on October 9, 2016 in Cypress Recital Hall, California State University Northridge. This performance is by the Lyris Quartet: My Nocturne for String Orchestra was composed in 2005: Incidental music composed in 1997 for a college production of Shakespeare's The Tempest: