About Me

Andrew grew up in Black River, a small town in Northern New York just south of the Canadian border. He passed the time by reading, exploring the forest and fields that surrounded the family home, and building all sorts of items and contraptions in his father’s basement workshop. However, at a young age, it was apparent that he was naturally inclined to draw. He would spend hours looking through books of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo’s works and copying drawings and photographs of animals. Despite this, it wasn't until he was 21 that he began to consider painting as a serious career option. 

 

With this goal in mind, Andrew toured several art schools in the Greater Toronto Area, where he had moved when he was 19. None of them seemed to offer the kind of painting he was after, namely, that of Leonardo Da Vinci and other old masters. Not entirely discouraged, he searched for possible apprenticeships without much luck until he came across Odd Nerdrum. This first discovery was a video panel discussion between the Norwegian master and the late philosopher Roger Scrution. This opened up a whole new world where philosophy and painting were joined. What was even more miraculous? Odd Nerdrum accepted students at his home in Southern Norway. Without hesitation, Andrew applied and was accepted. He spent 3 months studying with Odd during the winter of 2016-2017, followed by a longer stay of 9 months between 2019-2020.

 

These were both formative experiences in Andrew’s painting career, but he knew that along with his technical improvement, he would need to bolster his knowledge of the inner workings of man as well. In 2022, he was accepted into Ralston College, graduating in 2023 from their 1 year master's degree in the Humanities. This connected him even deeper with the traditions through the study of Ancient Greek as well as philosophy, theology, and literature.

 

Now, Andrew continues towards mastery to depict and explore what is most meaningful to human beings through our relationship with ourselves, each other, and the world that we inhabit. He seeks the truths that underlie and surround our lives through the beautiful, the good, and the tragic while trying to remain constructive and not destructive. With this in mind, he also aims at teaching and mentoring in the hope that he can inspire the next generation to aim high and to achieve meaningful work that will inform the generations to come.