Although I am a ceramist and an oil/charcoal painter, in the more recent years I have expanded my expertise in mixed media, including painting on glass.
I was born in Bucharest, Romania and lived the first half of my life there. I studied fine arts for about 8 years.
I trained in various media, yet my degree is in Ceramics and Paster Restoration. In my early years I defined myself as a carver and used that craft for the last ten years of living in Bucharest, designing ceramic artwork, and castle restorations of plaster ornamentation.
Fast forward to 1990, I moved to the US. Among “means to an end” jobs, art was still part of my life. In Flagstaff Arizona, I worked with a gallery to market small hand-built raku sculptures with a southwest influence. In Austin Texas I continued the raku sculpture work but expanded my work around crown moldings and unique hand-made tiles. Those skills attracted the attention of a small company at the time, Architerra, who hired me as their tiles/murals designer and mold maker for custom orders. During my time in Austin, I worked with various clients to create custom rosettes as one of kind chandeliers, light sources, bronze air vents, etc. Starting in 2008, circumstances (lack of a basement and kiln) rekindled my love for oil and canvas and created several medium to large pieces throughout the years.
At some point through our relocations due to my wife’s work, I became an awesome Emergency Room Medical Assistant, and that job followed me in various places we lived. After what is likely our last move, we ended up in Kingsport, TN, about two years ago. I kept working on larger canvases but developed an attraction for painting directly on glass using mixed media. What is interesting and unique about my technique is that the final result is in reverse, such that the side exposed to the viewer is the opposite side of the glass with the paint.
As a final thought, I am looking to connect with the art community, share knowledge and experience, perhaps learn about how to present my artwork and acquire marketing skills.
