Biography

Born in 1956 at Lincoln Hospital, Bronx, NY to traditional Puerto Rican parents, Albert grew up watching his father draw. He started drawing at a very early age. When he was in the first grade, his teacher asked the students to draw a picture for their respective areas in the cloak room. Albert drew an Indian Chief that impressed his teacher so much that they contacted his parents. He has through his entire life continued to create art in one form or another. While still in High School, Albert joined the military and departed home a week after graduation to help pay for his continuing education. He initially served as a reservist in the Army National Guard and in 1981 went on active duty until his retirement in 2001 as a Master Sergeant E-8.

He attended college classes at night during his military service and graduated from Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY with a degree in Art and Science. While attending college, Albert also took a photography course and would become a professional photographer and graphic designer.

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Throughout Albert’s life, there has been an insatiable desire to create art, a desire that has never really subsided. When he retired from the military, he began a new career as a professional photographer and graphic designer. After a 13-year hiatus from painting to concentrate on photography and graphic design, he suddenly got the urge to paint again. He’s been painting regularly since. Much of his work revolves around his Puerto Rican culture which he used as a method to educate his children. Albert is also a poet who has been published by CENTRO (The Hunter College Center for Puerto Rican Studies) and recorded by “Willie Villegas Y Entre Amigos” and “Dave Santiago and Latin Affair.”