My artworks reflect the many worlds I inhabit, from the streets of New York City to the mountains of the Catskills, from the interior world of the psyche to the trees and hills and rocks of the outdoors, from the logical linearity of the left brain to the free-flowing fantasies of the right brain. Although I sometimes paint, photograph, or work with textiles, my primary medium is assemblages of found and purchased objects and images. I frequent yard sales and thrift shops and even scrap heaps and have accumulated a large stash of "stuff" that I organize and store for possible future use. When I create an assemblage, I may start first with an idea, and then look for just the right image or object, or I might rummage through my drawers and boxes, looking for something that inspires the beginnings of an idea. Then scraps of wood and paper, household gadgets, toys and even garbage, are carefully chosen and arranged to create something that is both visually pleasing and mentally stimulating. In the tradition of surrealism, commonplace items and cultural icons are provocatively juxtaposed or altered, in the hope of surprising viewers into fresh insights. I have a few favorite themes: the role that chance plays in determining our lives, the weird and wonderful ways in which the human mind works, the need to dream big, and the belief that there may be many paths to the same goal. Some motifs occur over and over again: the brain and the heart, angels and rockets, feathers and grids. Left brain and right brain, dreams and reality, cherubs and skeletons, all part of the fascinating mix that is life. I am entirely self-taught as an artist, but I have been engaged in some form of creative endeavor my entire life, and I have studied art on my own visiting galleries and museums and poring through books. For most of my adult life, I lived in New York City and practiced law at a large Manhattan law firm, but Chronic Fatigue Syndrome forced my early retirement. I now live on a mountainside near Phoenicia, a tiny village in the Catskill Mountains of New York. In addition to creating my own art, I help other artists in the area promote their own work.

-JS