Back when I was starting my art training, it was hard to find a course in artistic anatomy. Anatomy classes had been phased out of most art school and art department curriculums in the United States. The change started in the mid twentieth century, when abstract expressionism and then pop art, conceptualism, and minimalism became the primary focus in art schools, replacing older artistic traditions. Yes, there were still ateliers that offered anatomy classes, but very few. I myself was scoffed at by teachers and other artists for trying to obtain knowledge of anatomy. They told me the subject was antiquated, too complicated, no longer necessary, and that I was wasting my time pursuing such an outdated topic.

This hostile attitude, however, ignited a rebellious desire on my part, and I continued, as best I could, to study the human figure in the classical way. I began collecting as many artistic and medical anatomy books as I could find, and I started a rigorous routine of reading the material and passionately drawing from live models to make all that information come alive in my work. I found that understanding the dynamics of form, structure, and movement gave my drawings and paintings an aesthetic edge. I wasn’t just “reporting” bio-mechanical information; I was using that information to enhance my art and take it to another level.