I was recently asked to have a reproduction of my charcoal drawing “Drowning” be displayed at an upcoming Center for Substance Abuse Treatment conference. This federal agency awards grants that address substance abuse and mental health issues, and shares the results of these efforts through a variety of conferences. This particular conference will focus on how

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) Considered the finest German Renaissance artist, Albrecht Dürer was a painter, printmaker, draughtsman and art theorist. Artists across Europe admired and copied Dürer’s innovative and powerful prints, ranging from religious and mythological scenes to maps and exotic animals. Dürer was exceptionally learned, and the only Northern artist who

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Okay, everyone has heard of Leonardo da Vinci and agrees that he was a genius on many levels. His technical skill as an artist is self-evident. Because of his universal popularity, I won’t go into too much detail about his life, only touching on parts that I

Francisco Goya (1746-1828) As far as classical art, the first painting I remember being moved by was by Spanish artist Francisco Goya. I was thumbing through a book of paintings and came upon a page I could not turn away from. I was a child at the time and didn’t have any idea who

Edward Gorey (1925-2000) The earliest memory of an artist that captured my imagination and touched on my dark sense of humor was Edward Gorey. I remember as a child seeing his animated opening of PBS “Mystery!” and was hooked (see video below). An American artist and author, Gorey is known for his

I find the idea of inspiration and its sources fascinating. Where we draw inspiration from is very personal, unique to each individual’s life experiences and philosophy. Sometimes we are unaware of our muse and her source. I feel I am at a point in my life where I have established

I was just given my first look at the new book Addiction and Art by Johns Hopkins University Press and it looks great. My charcoal portrait “Drowning” was one of 61 works of art depicting addiction to be published in this book. Written by addiction scientists and professionals, this book marks