I studied with Leonid for the next five years and owe my sculpting career to him. He was strict and demanding. "No more lunches with the ladies," he said emphatically in his thick Russian accent.
The next step was a studio of my own. I hired my own models, instructed students, and continued my own studies, this time with Paul Lucchesi at the Eastside Settlement House and a brief stint in Pietrasante, Italy at his summer school. Then I started showing and selling my work. The Library at Lincoln Center was my first group show and sale - I was so nervous I couldn't even attend the opening! I exhibited outdoor shows at Gracie Square Park and West Hampton Beach. I was Best in Show at The Hintersteiner Gallery, had one-woman shows at The National Arts Center, galleries In The East Village and P-town.
My husband of fifty-six years and I became homesteaders in West Palm Beach ten years ago. I have been teaching at The Armory in WPB and The Boca Art School to some remarkable people with great potential. I am constantly inspired working with them, and hope to pass on the passion and knowledge that others have given me.
