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I grew up in a very unusal environment (and neighborhood) of classical music. I traveled with my parents constantly when they would go on tour and we would return home. In the first few years of my life I traveled across the country at least twice per year and sometimes more, by plane, car and sometimes by train. I had the best private care on these tours as a child. Once we went to London and Amsterdam in the early 1960’s. The first stop after the hotel was the concert hall and meeting some famous musical personality whether a conductor or pianist. Other children seemed somewhat distanced to me as I grew up mostly around adults. Some of the people  I met as a youth: Vronsky and Victor Babin, Egon Petri (who whould come to our house on weekends for dinner..set me on a concert bench to watch me play by ear), Grant Johannsen. Witmore and Lowe, Byron Janis, Arthur Fiedler, Andre Kostelanenz, Lili Kraus, Sir Arthur Headly, Gunnar Johansen, Micha Mischakoff, Fritz Kreisler, Arthur Rubinstein, Alaxender Tcherepnine, Dimitry Kabalevsky, Shostokovitch, Aram Katchaturien..and the list goes on, so many touched by genius of a classical meaning.

The world had changed much since the 1960?s. I viewed changes of cultural taste and identity. As the 1960?s progressed the economy flourished. There was a big rush of culture where classical concerts could be heard in small and big cities as well as the many communities that span across the country. I had many of my early cultural experiences in Chautauqua beginning in the 1960?s. I can remember the big push of excellence set off by the devotion to progress in the John F Kennedy speech of putting man on the moon. Duing my youth I can also remember the drills of "Duck and Cover" , as the nuclear age progressed and the fear it brought with it. There was a great deal of rush towards excelling in personal and national growth which was exponential. The feeling of a great new age was upon us and so with the many changes that were made. In my life I can recall travel by train on the Vistadome to Washington as well as travel overseas by air previous to the time of jets. When I was small I remember the great Constellation and the roaring motors of the DC-6 and 7 and the noisy "jet "all which dwarf any airliners of today. (during this time...airtravel was not always seen as the most convienient way to travel although we did it allot and there was some skepticism still about traveling by air, even though it was safe by comparison)

We travelled each year across the country from wherever our home was located to Chautauqua. Usually a cross country trip would take 5 days. Frequently on these long trips there was time enough for fishing and camping in the mountains of Colorado, Nevada, Arizona or New Mexico. We always took a different route through different states and along different routes. By the time I was 15 we had travelled to most all of the states in the US on more than 60 coast to coast crossings.

Travel and relocation was a frequent issue. I was born in St. Louis. Our family lived in St. Charles (1959-60)

My parents were professors of music at Lindenwood college in St. Charles. My father was in concert on many tours with the Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler and Harry Ellis Dickson as well as doing many recording dates with orchestras from Voice of America to RCA Victrola. His tours would often last for several weeks, likewise my mother would teach and also perform piano concerts in a wide range of cities from New York to San Francisco. When I was born it was less than a week after a concert tour of my mother. My father returned after a tour of Europe and the east coast only a couple of days before I was born.

Moved to San Francisco in 1960-63

After the Summer at Chautauqua New York (1960) we moved to San Francisco where my mother received notice of a new professorship at the San Francisco conservatory of music where my grandfather taught flute for many years as well as was first chair of the San Francisco Symphony under Pierre Montreaux as well as many other conductors. I was brought in close to my mothers family in San Fransicso as my parents settled.

Frequent visitors to our houshold were pianists such as Egon Petri and many others who appeared with the symphony. I remember being taken up to the piano and my hand placed on the keys by the famous virtuoso Egon Petri who was interested if my interests were there. Egon Petri would come over frequently for dinner as well as provide coaching to both of my parents. 

Converse College Spartenburg South Carolina. 1963-66

In 1963 our family moved to Spartanburg SC were both my parents were offered professorships at Converse College. I can remember I attended kindergarten (pre-school) in South Carolina as well as attended 1st through 3rd grades. My father received a full professorship in Tucson Arizona at the University of Arizona where he taught until his retirement in 1989..

 

Tucson Arizona 1966-83

I attended school in Tucson from 3rd grade through college at the University of Arizona where I graduated with my BFA.

New York City 1983-86

In late 1982, soon after I graduated the University of Arizona with my BFA, I received several offers that were quite a bit to contend with. I had an offer to study in China at the Central Academy in Beijing as well as received a possible scholarship to study in Italy (art conservation) for a Masters. It seemed almost destined that I was going elsewhere to study whether in Los Angeles or New York. I received an offer to study in New York City at the Art Students League, after summers work  and study as a art instructor in Fairbanks Alaska. Life was interesting, but change was constant and fluid. Literally it was a day of acceptance where there was a full scholarship offered to me for study in New York, and I took it.

I lived in New York City alone. The first place I stayed is the 63rd Street YMCA. My room was small and the conditions very much similar to a dormitory accomadation only I had a small but private room. There were students from Julliard and many of the theater schools in New York who were my neigboors. I met quite a network of people who introduced me to life in New York. Several months passed and I moved to Brooklyn to a large studio space above a pool hall. I moved again to a residence in Queens which was short listed and returned to live in Brooklyn. I had a very busy life where I would work at my studio on weekends and during the week full time study towards my Masters attending school and returning home at 10 or 11 pm after a full day.

I met many people who were extremely pro culture art in New York during the 80’s and was invited to parties and events to consume my free time with lectures, exhibitions and openings as well as meetings with associates. Of the artists I can only say some were stellar names during that time and some were soon to be. I had been involved in  circles of theater, music and art. I met Andy Wharlol when he was selecting various color pots for purpose of purchase as well as other people at parties, some of them were later names in their field, but I always appreciate the time long ago when I remembered meeting these people before their 15 minutes of fame. 

I later came back to Manhattan and resumed a studio and residence on 99th Street and West End Ave and became involved in the Upper Manhattan Arts community as meeting many who would add an additional philosophical element to my work from those graduate students at Columbia and NYU where I attended Graduate School in the mid 80’s. At the end of 4 years I was missing the great expanses of the west. Although I would spend my summers in Chautauqua and holidays visiting my father I missed the attributes of having family closer by.

Tempe Arizona 1986-1996

I returned to AZ partially because of family and also because I had a private sponsor from Scottsdale AZ who invited me to live in the valley and was going to subsidize me for exhibits and teaching. She passed on less than a year after my arrival in Arizona which changed parameters for me somewhat dramaticly. (I had just released the lease on my New York Apartment  a week before this event occured) During my residence in Tempe Arizona I worked in my studio and exhibited in many exhibitions as far away as New Zealand and Europe. My life in Tempe was rather out of view except for the perspectives as a Graduate MFA student at Arizona State University, where I excelled in my craft (during my residence) and at my studio. It was interesting how small towns create their own energies and weather when it comes to the arts.

A Brief Residence and Return to my Hometown of Tucson

      For a brief period in the late 1990's I returned to live in Tucson and established a studio there for my work. (1999-90)

Studio was a part of the old Plaza Antiqua. I let out a large art studio from a known Tucson Artist "Nathan Robinson" and was in touch with other older established artists from the Tucson art sphere.

Reasons for Advanced Education beyond my study in New York:

I had trained as an artist for many years in advance of my BFA in my New York studies at the Art Students League and their great resource of teachers.  By 1986 I had everything that was practically necessary for teaching the advance craft of painting and drawing in my field. I already had 3000+ credit hours of training in my field from New York and was already documented as having a Masters degree. Less than a six months after my arrival in Arizona I had already attained the proper certification of teaching at the Community College, provided with a Special Certificate from the Arizona Board of Education for the purposes of teaching. Unfortunately what was needed was the MFA Masters of Fine Arts for teaching art in the University or Community College systems. I was a working artist during my tenure at ASU. Being an artist is my livelyhood and has always been. I entered the program strictly for the purpose of teaching the craft of art and continuing the legacy. During my residence in Tempe I exhibited from New York to New Zealand as well as worked at commissions. My work and philosophical precepts changed a great deal from the time I first came to the program. ASU had been known as a strong school with a very difficult program that frequently took longer than the requisite years of study. This program was a challenge. I was very encouraged by certain members of the distinguised faculty that recognized my prior efforts and actually helped me with my work, guiding me to new and often critical philosophical thresholds.

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Wikipedia Definition of Masters of Fine Arts=Master of Fine Arts.

In the United States, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate degree typically requiring two to three years of study beyond the bachelor’s degree level and usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, or theater/performing arts. Coursework is primarily of an applied or performing nature with the program often culminating in a major work or performance.

MFA programs have generally required a bachelor’s degree prior to admission, but many have not required that the undergraduate major be the same as the MFA field of study. The most important admissions requirement has often been a sample portfolio or a performance audition.

The MFA differs from the Master of Arts in that the MFA, while an academic program, centers around practice in the particular field, programs leading to the MA are usually centered on the scholarly, academic, or critical study of the field.

The MFA has traditionally been seen as a terminal degree, meaning that it is considered to be the highest degree in its field. In the interest of further developing the connection between creative production and continued academic research; however, some universities have established competing Ph.D programs in fields such as creative writing, visual arts, and theater. Similar PhD programs were abandoned in the 1960s and 1970s.

The College Art Association developed the following statement regarding the definition of the M.F.A. for visual arts:

"The M.F.A., unlike most master’s degrees, is used as a guarantee of a high level of professional competence in the visual arts. It is also accepted as an indication that the recipient has reached the end of the formal aspects of his/her education in the making of art, that is to say, it is the terminal degree in visual arts education and thus equivalent to terminal degrees in other fields, such as the Ph.D. or Ed.D.
First and foremost, the profession demands from the recipient of the M.F.A. a certifiable level of technical proficiency and the ability to make art. [...] The need for thorough training of the mind, the eye, and the hand is self-evident." [1]
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Fine_Arts"
 

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How to describe the Neigborhood. I met numerous very talented individuals each with certain spectacular talents from art to music as well as writers. Each person whether at the University or not had a similar story when it cames to the condition of living in the valley. I watched the town of Tempe grow from a simple town to what appeared as a ’big city’ all as the gateway to ASU. I watched the trends of the students and society. Tempe had changed quite a bit since I arrived in 1986. There was that enertia and thrill of the end of the 1990’s. Economics and making  "thrill of fortunes" seemed to be the t.he talk of the days as the economy was doing rather well, and so the arts benifited for a bit during the growth of the city. But no, Tempe was never quite an arts town proper. Buyers came from Scottsdale or other states as with exhibition opportunities. I watched new concepts of growth in the city being designed right before my eyes. From a rather small college town I viewed a master plan which was unbelievable and was absolutely sure wouldnt work...it made the city look something like the Jettsons dream, and of course the arts were said to develop as well. I watched theaters being built, rather dramatic ones only to host one continuous show from the duration of what I remember. Art and its concept of appreciation as well with perspective galleries and the infrastructure of the town would change too. Now Tempe (visited in 2008) is very much the town envisioned by those dreamers of the 1990’s. There is a lake where once a dry river bed ran. There are skyscrapers posting 1.5 million dollar condominiums where there were once buildings they couldnt give away. Office buildings have sprung up as monoliths and the town itself is geared towards business instead of the arts. I had lived in a couple of places during my residence. Some of those places are now under the freeway. My residence (condo-studio), when I returned for a visit  (08) it looked almost like a desolate memory as so much had changed. There were few if any people I had remembered and culturally forward looking places had very ordinary replacements. When I left in 1996 I knew why. In ones life there is a need for success outside the normal concepts of what this entails. Some find money a deciding factor, some need certain impetus in their work, others a bold new adventure. As the world was changing I had the prospect of gaining new insights in my work as well as new thresholds and new cultures. After being awarded a very substantial (note) in the UK reason had evidence for change. i considered the options and made up my mind to take up offers in Europe to exhibit and have residence.

Prague Czech Republic 1996-2003

I arrived in Prague in August of 1996 and took up a residence/studio at the Hotel Grand Europa right in the center of Wenseslas Square. I met artists, musicians and writers in many areas and from different cultures. There was a specific energy of Prague in the late 1990's that cannot be described. Before long I was exhibiting in small exhibits and slowly gaining possibilities of teaching and making my residence in Prague.

The first year: I toured Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, Italy, Germany on arrangements made by a Czech agent who had a very interesting life in the arts from years ago. He had known most Czech artists and organized many artists and musicians for tours of Czech during former years only to found a gallery in Prague that tried to extend these during free times...

I met many of the older artists and musicians as well as composers that were little known to the west and were enduring a cultural clashes in modern times during the period of change in Prague from former authorities of Socialistic realms. Quite sadly a large resource of very talented individuals were left to their own.

My Prague life was a never ending adventure. I lived in Zizkov, Versovica, Hradcanska, Flora and Starometska before the end of my stay.

I also lived in Cesky Krumlov and visited many Czech and Moravian towns during my residence, most notably

Marianski Lazni,

Franceskovi Lazni

Karlovy Vary

Jinhikova Hradez

Box 1 Prague 1 Czech Republic 11121 (My address in Czech Republic)

-Zizkov

-Versovica

Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

Travels in Europe-

Hungary,Poland,Slovakia,Germany,Italy, etc...(exhibitions)

Detroit Vicinity, White Lake Michigan 2003-06 (periodic return from Italy)

I was given the opportunity for several months to live on "a kibutz" (only description) with a family of creative crafters in Michigan. During this time I learned a great deal about the values inherent in some peoples eyes, although I must admit what I saw was often rather absurd or abusive during my residence. I say this was "a kibutz" and there were no other words to describe what exactly this place was. There was a very talented Native American jeweler who lived there and others which are rather hard to describe for here I must make up a story to describe what life was like in reference to the situation where I stored my work and participated for months there.

     Inserted A Story (fictional) which will describe the persona.......

A farm in the outskirts of Detroit, ramshackle domain wanting of repair, a bohemian domain. The woman who owned the house, a spectacle, seller of gems and jewelry. She was a demanding woman and a character in life. There were other artists who would come through and a resident Native American who was a master craftsmen (one of the finest Ive met) who was ruled over by this woman. It was an episode that one could not soon forget, one of conspiracy, intrigue, hurt and the saddest disillusion. I regret this episode in my life and all the twists and turns with the people associated with it. 

I can say without a doubt that this situation left much to be desired, merely a stopping point (reference a kibutz) upon the pathways traveled. I left in Nov 2006 upon a grand dissapointment on a stormy day for a committment that was anything but there.....The Long Road Across, began a road uncertain....suddenly as with the swift turns in life.

Torino (Venaria Reale) 2004-06

The Long Road Across-

Houston Texas (Fayetteville Texas) 06/07

New York City, NY

Centerville Iowa March 07-Nov 07/ June 08-Current

And the road across only begins......