#art, As the Sun Rises Over Florida. (a little bit about me)…

Omnia Caelum Studios started in Miami, Florida, June of 2003. That year I exhibited professionally for the first time in a gallery in Istanbul, Turkey. I did not think my paintings would go too far and I knew nothing about Turkey or about their culture. Much less did I know about their likes and dislikes when it came to choosing or collecting paintings. All I knew was that I would be a foreign artist, a European artist coming from the United States who painted bright, colourful scenes of jazz, dancers, movement and bodies, many bodies… But the show went very, very good for me. I sold three paintings out of the five I exhibited and it helped me to establish my presence overseas.

I came back to Miami (my home base at the time) and I started working on a new project. I chose Manhattan. Of course, New York, exhibiting in the Big Apple is obviously the dream of many artists and I was a dreamer. So I headed off north on the Interstate 95 in my Jeep Cherokee with ten paintings, the largest ones I had painted at the time. I had negotiated a contract with a gallery in Brooklyn which was also owned by a Turk, and I had been given a one moth show. The show went well but I did not sell…

So I stayed in New York. I moved my show to SoHo to a gallery called Amsterdam-Whitney and I exhibited there for 15 days. The vernissage was an authentic blast. One of the artists, it was a mixed show, was the wife of actor Christopher Walken and he was at the opening. One of the other guests was the «Prince of Darkness» a rather intriguing character who dressed like an English Lord but with a kilt. I kept looking at him wondering if it was true, that he really was a vampire. I sold one large and very expensive painting during that show, but it helped me establish my presence and I met many people.

I had a third New York exhibition in that year at the New World Gallery, also in SoHo. I only exhibited four large paintings but I did sell one of them…

In any event my experiences abroad gave me many ideas and when I returned to Miami I set my eyes on the developing local scene. This landed me a spot at the coveted «Cultural Fridays» events sponsored by the city of Miami. I presented my work and was selected artist of the month (October) in 2005. That year I searched and found new ways to express my painting and digital work…

Little by little, at times and with giant steps other times, the perfect combination of fast and slow, I started to develop my talent, (through hard work) and my abilities to create. I started to make something of my university education. I recall one of my professors who said that now that we were graduating we should forget all the academic learning and just go out there and create. I took that to heart…

I have to say that life as a working artist for me has been (and certainly still is) a rewarding endeavour and a lot of fun. And one of the best perks is travelling and sailing…

CHEERS