Born 1945 in Washington, DC, son of a West Point Army Captain who was killed in the Korean Conflict. After high school I did 4 years in the Marine Corps. Not yet having “conscientious objector” in my vocabulary, I, instead pushed my artistic abilities into play and painted two murals while in boot camp (Paris Island). Then during a tour of duty in Japan in the 60s I was posted as an illustrator for a military PR magazine. I immersed myself in the aesthetics of Japan, learning the language, both spoken and written, as well as learning the traditional Sumi-e painting style. There I also learned the art of photography while having access to the vast dark room facilities for the Navy’s aerial reconnaissance. It was in this unique setting that I launched my career as an artist. This path took me through periods, a decade or more each, of different media – water color, carved glass, found object assemblage and photography.
In the mid-eighties while living in New York city I discovered that I could step out of the reality matrix and into the sacred universe of imagination, writing screenplays. Though none of them were produced, the spark was lit. Meanwhile the real-world art career continued to advance. An ongoing chain of exhibits in the mid-Atlantic region culminated in a solo exhibit of my assemblages at the Strathmore Music Center near Washington, DC.
But during all this I was an avid consumer of movies, often watching a notable film many times. Movies are an important part of my and our cultural experience. And I think it would be accurate to say that it is THE art medium of this age. Earlier periods were dominated by novels, by great paintings and by sculpture but the NOW medium is movies. And music of course is the ageless medium that weaves through them all and today is all-pervasive. And the intimate and universal nature of music is a driving feature of my first screenplay.
My round two with screenplays is enhanced by my experience as a seasoned artist where the art of the story is senior. But I have also studied well the technical screenplay manuals so as to better serve both the art and the industry that executes the final product.
Recent uplifting events and inspirations have provided the kindling for the screenplay spark to burst into flames and ignite several fires in the forests of my imagination. The results of which is a list of original stories being translated into scripts and short stories. The first out the chute is in the magical realism genre, Forever Yet: A tragic myth of old clashes with the glory of modern music and the human spirit. This script has earned awards in several competitions. The current script being written is Lost and Found, based on the true story of the rescue of my brother who had been missing and homeless for 20 years. A dozen more original high concept properties are rumbling at the gate.