Born in New York City, he is one of the few folk artists working in the exacting medium of reverse-glass painting. Most of his life was as a New England oysterman and sailor.

For years, he was the master of one of the last commercial sailing ships operating out of Long Island. He traveled up and down the New England coast, which provided many visual memories.

In the 1960s, he began recording these in small oil scenes on the back of clear glass, which protects the painting. He did the tiny frontal details first and the background last. He recorded bucolic rural scenes and busy urban vistas churning with activity....