I was born in New York City in 1996. Throughout my youth, I would spend my summers with my extended family in the Polish countryside, where the surrounding landscape first kindled my love of the natural world.

As a kid, I would use a pencil as often to draw as I would write, yet I never received any formal training. Early in high school I discovered the world of Illustration, concept art and digital painting online, and decided I would pursue it as something that could be both a career and a creative outlet. I enrolled in as an Illustration major at Montclair State University where I enjoyed contributing to the school literary magazine and Art Society, which in my sophomore year I was elected as President.

I always believed that at the core of any artistic endeavor is solid draftsmanship, and while I was learning some aspects of creating a visual narrative, I wasn’t in an environment that was challenging my drawing skills. Through books and videos I had always studied on my own but also understood that I would always be limited if I didn’t receive proper instruction from accomplished artists.

I began looking for instruction elsewhere. The summer before my sophomore year I spent time in the Art Students League with watercolorist Timothy Clark. The following winter I took a workshop with landscape painter Stapleton Kearns, from whom I first heard of the Florence academy of Art. I decided that I would continue my education there, and left university.

Attending the Florence Academy of Art has been pivotal for me, being that it changed my perception of what drawing and painting is, increased my admiration for past masters, and it’s an environment that allows me to become completely consumed in my studies. Within my first year, I was awarded the Best Figure Drawing prize. I have continued my exploration of late 19th-century figure drawing methods in Edmond Rochat’s evening class at the Florence Academy, in addition to the core instructors since my second year.

During the summer of 2018 I studied briefly with landscape painters Leo Mancini-Hresko and Marc Dalessio.

I am currently enrolled in my third year at the Academy. Recently I’ve been awarded as a recipient of the Versailles Foundation’s Munn Artist Residency at Giverny and will spend three months in the upcoming summer painting at Claude Monet’s Gardens and the surrounding area at Giverny, as well as participated in Florence Academy US’ Full Palette exhibition.