1932
Born in Detroit, MI to a family of Jewish holy rollers.
1945
Moved to San Diego, CA.
1950–54
Escaped San Diego via the US Air Force: master turret gunner on B-29 aircraft, stationed in Guam. Discovered the world of the Far East.
1960–1967
First Active Period (New York City). Arrived in NYC in 1960; fixture on the arts scene. Poet, folk guitarist, prolific painter by night.
Dec 1961
First solo exhibition at Gallery Mukerji (East 30th St.): “abstract expressionist things” and “action painting”.
c. 1962
Wrote an artist profile on Willem de Kooning for the Viking anthology ART: USA: TODAY.
c. 1965–1970
Worked as an advertising writer by day (Doyle Dane Bernbach); prolific painter and street photographer by night.
1966
Exhibited in a Syracuse show alongside artists such as Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg.
1967
Quit the art world and ceased showing work.
1970–1987
Pivot to Woodstock country gentleman, Los Angeles author.
1987
Moved into Casa Effie in Silver Lake, CA; live-in “work of art.” Returned to visual art via functional furniture from found objects.
1988–2010
Second Active Period (Silver Lake, CA): assemblage, decorative arts, works on paper, manipulated images.
1992
Created box assemblage “Box with Box & Two Columns”.
Jul 10, 1993
Formal talk at the Sherry Frumkin Gallery (Santa Monica, CA).
1993
Created box assemblage “Utopia Parkway”, a dialogue with Joseph Cornell’s “Day”.
1993–1996
Developed his visual language for gallery boxes in the Oracles series (14-piece masterwork).
1994
Transition from boxes to lost paper collage; created “December Sun IX.”
Jan–Mar 1996
Exhibited in TRILOGY at Louis Stern Fine Arts.
1996
Exhibited in Imaginary Realities: Surrealism Now and Then (Louis Stern Fine Arts). Created “GNOMUS”, first of Pictures at an Exhibition.
1997
Created “IL VECCHIO CASTELLO” and “TUILERIES” as part of Pictures at an Exhibition.
c. 1993–2003
Represented by Louis Stern Fine Arts (West Hollywood) for a decade.
Sep 2003
Penned his essay detailing the inspiration for Pictures at an Exhibition.
2003–2010
Wrote “found-word” poems in illuminated manuscripts and returned to painting.