What is TRANSCENDENT VISUALISM?  It is an idea, an approach, and a new theory of visual presentation.  Over the years, I have created and developed a distinctive personal style of painting, which embraces elements of representation, expressionism, and abstraction, and which I call Transcendent Visualism.  This name refers to the aesthetic experience that a viewer of my reverse-painted artworks is enabled to have.

The viewer begins by imagining the painting's metal frame as representing the frame of a clear window, through which the viewer is gazing.  The objects being viewed through that portal — which are, in essence, the "subject matter" of the painting — appear to be photographic representations of other dimensions, or other realities. This surprising "photographic effect," which seems to draw the viewer into the alien worlds being presented, is particularly striking when my paintings are viewed in person.

On a deeper level, even though the "subject matter" being viewed might appear at first glance to be a realm of the dreamlike or the unreal, a closer examination often evokes more familiar objects, such as a human face or torso, the delicate parts of a flower, ancient red-rock archways, underwater caverns, an array of stars and galaxies, and so on.  Viewers have told me that the imagery revealed through such "transcendent portals" is reminiscent of fluid, organic, and ethereal forms, which often have a calming or tranquil effect.

The viewer of my Transcendent Visualist paintings thereby experiences a glimpse, or a visualization, of an alternate reality, containing its own autonomous set of structures, objects, and processes.  By means of this simple but sublime experience, it is my modest hope that the viewer's sense of equanimity may be slightly enhanced, and that the viewer's fear of the unknown may be slightly lessened.

artist bio

I have been exhibiting and selling my paintings and photography since 1975, although like many other artists, I have also devoted many years to more practical pursuits.  In my case, I practiced law, first in a large corporate firm, and then in the public service, spending the bulk of my legal career as a prosecutor.  I have five academic degrees, including a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Arts, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degree (in analytic philosophy) from The Ohio State University.  During my years at Ohio State, I taught a special undergraduate course in art theory and the philosophy of art.

My background in philosophy has given me an analytical approach to the practice of art, which means that I am more interested in the core conceptual issues of aesthetics than mundane things like "what kinds of brushes to use."  For example, do traditional categories like abstraction and representation break down upon close scrutiny?  Is art criticism legitimate?  What is the possible relevance of an artist's subjective intention to the interpretation of an artwork?  What is a work of art, anyway?  And what does it mean even to pose the question, "What is art?"

Having recently relocated to southern Delaware, I am presently represented by the Peghini-Raber Gallery in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  In addition, I am a member of the Rehoboth Art League, the Philadelphia Sketch Club, and the International Society of Experimental Artists, and have been exhibiting in their juried and members' shows.  Over the years, I have exhibited my artwork dozens of times in a variety of forums, and have been fortunate to win many awards.  (A comprehensive list of exhibitions and awards is available upon request.)

My first solo exhibition was at the Center for the Creative Arts in Yorklyn, Delaware ("Recent Works on Glass"), in 1995, after which I was represented by the Tideline Galleries in Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  One of my graphic paintings has been on display at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and others have been displayed at City Hall in Philadelphia, the Delaware State Bar Association, and various professional offices and private residences.

I believe that my artwork speaks for itself, and that its unique qualities can be determined and appreciated, by both professional and non-professional viewers, within a few seconds.  Take a look.