I'm so excited to announce that I found a great option for a space for Novus Atelier!  I thought I had a place set, had some setbacks BUT now I've got a really solid option.  I'm still going to look at one more place in Ridgewood on Thursday, but it's really nice to know that I have a strong place set.  Once I make a final decision then I'll update the website and create an official announcement.  Really exciting stuff for this summer!

  Novus Atelier is now an officially registered business and LLC in the state of New Jersey!  I'm so proud to say this and to begin the next steps of choosing a final location!  Check out our website to learn more about our mission and goals!

  I'm announcing some big news for this summer, 2019.  I will be setting up an atelier where students can come study, develop their portfolios for college and learn traditional art techniques.  I'm looking to launch the venture in June/July and am currently choosing a final location in Northern NJ.  My long-time friend and brilliant artist, Asem Ahmed, will be joining me in teaching along with some very talented guest artists.
  This is an idea that I've been considering for a number of years and will be reminiscent of 19th century ateliers where students could work from the live model and learn traditional techniques such as framing and canvas making.  My years of teaching have been preparing me for this and I know now's the right time with the resurgence of academic art across the world.  Stay tuned for more news as the summer draws nearer.

  I haven't done a blog post in while, but I feel like now's a good time.  I've been experiencing a lot of development in my personal and professional life recently.  My professional life is going really well and I'm so thankful that I get to teach art to a wonderful group of students; it's really an amazing experience to be a full time teacher and artist.
 I've also been personally developing a lot in terms of my own artistic outlook and philosophy.  My main artistic goal now is to create paintings and drawings that reflect my own world in the present moment.  I don't see any purpose to creating paintings that reflect a world perceived through a camera.  And I know my own work is strongest when it's not just a copy of a photo.
 I'm gravitating away from a lot of online sources of entertainment also as a result of these feelings.  I still post on my instagram, but I foresee myself moving far away from that also.  It's a hard realization to come to because there seems to be a lot of benefit to having an online presence.  But I think it's only a vapid phantom and nothing more.  My only true success and growth has come from personal connections that I've made.  A lot of modern sources in my life feel just end up feeling shallow when I try and embrace them.  I know I'm the outlier here and I'm totally fine with that.