Born in the 1950's in the Midwest to clarinettist parents who performed in an orchestra and exposed Al to music and the arts early on. Salvador Dali and comic books were an early stimuli. At 13, he began oil painting with the first of several private teachers and early works were impressionistic landscapes.    

     In 1967, Al bought a Conan novel with a cover painting by Frank Frazetta which prompted a desire to paint the figure; initially in a fantasy-surrealist manner. Other artist/illustrators such as Jeff Jones led to an appreciation of many artists; living and dead. In his late teens and early 20's, his work was in a number of shows and exhibitions.

     In 1978, after many attempts, he began to break into the book-cover field. A wraparound book-cover materialized for the Don Grant Publication of "Yellow Men Sleep" by J. Lane, published in 1983.  

     In 1978, Al moved to California to study an advanced Martial-Art system called Serrada Eskrima and subsequently moved back to Indiana; after which, Art and the Martial-Arts became an equal focus. With the changes in the bookcover field and growth of the Internet, he now only wishes to paint from the heart and be open to the evolution of his personal expression.