Born in New York in 1934, Fred lived in San Diego and La Jolla, California from 1938 to 1976. Following four years in the United States Air Force, and with strong encouragement from his family, Fred began his art career in his early twenties with full time instruction at the Coronado School of Fine Arts near San Diego.

Fred opened a studio/gallery on Prospect Street in LaJolla overlooking the famous La Jolla Cove and, later, taught art for the San Diego Community College District for several years before his first visit to Hawaii in 1976. Along with his wife, Anne, and their two sons Dan and Jon, he knew after the first few weeks that Hawaii was now home. Thanks to some San Diego friends, in 1971, his paintings had made the trip to Maui before he did, so catching up with them at Village Gallery was merely a formality.

"Currently, for a change of pace and my own pleasure, I am painting mostly abstracts, relying on color and form without the restrictions of realistic subject matter. With abstracts there is a great sense of freedom and adventure. I'm enjoying the journey.