As a student at the National Academy of Design and later under Thomas Eakins in New York City, he early on displayed the talent that later brought him fame.

In 1884 he went to France and painted landscapes for a time at Grez, near the forest of Fontainebleau, afterwards going to Paris, where he studied under Colin, Aimé Morot, and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes.

His compositions were said to preserve that truth in nature which represents true art and he became a profound synthesist, ever seeking to secure unity of ensemble and endeavoring to avoid striking a false note in his efforts to produce harmony of color and effect.

His success in this direction is strikingly illustrated in his composition "Sea and Rain", and in many of his pictures the scope of his artistic vision is wide and comprehensive.

His work is represented in the permanent collection of the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, thanks to a gift from the New York merchant, George Hearn.