My fine art life started at age 4 in Brooklyn: skylines of a long-ago Manhattan, geometric shapes filled with color and images of 1920s to 1940s men’s fashion. With Crayola crayons and #2 pencils on discarded legal pads, I worked at a constant pace.

In Christmas of 1968, I received my best gift, a Learn to Draw with Jon Gnagy box kit. As a self-taught artist, from there, my interest in illustration only grew. I would answer ads in TV Guide’s “Can You Draw This?,” attempting to sketch a pirate or a great dane in the hopes of getting noticed. I received my formal training in pattern-making for bespoke clothing (trousers as a specialty), but always knew I wanted to continue my vocation in visual arts.

I’m inspired by the work of Josef Albers, Yuko Shimizu (of Hello Kitty fame) and of the Pattern and Decoration Art Movement. My tools of choice are Sharpies and Crayola crayons.

I’ve been a fine art therapy instructor at several public schools in Queens, as part of New York Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.’s Youth Outreach Programs. In this program, I’ve instructed students to use basic shapes and inexpensive art tools, which help them to create joyous, yet simple designs.

My focus and passions are in fine art, jazz singing, poetry and entertainment.

IIn my spare time, I enjoy singing and playing the Hum-A-Zoo.