Al Zerries and Jean Zerries, a husband and wife team, write as A.J. Zerries—the name recognizes their collaboration.
Al was born in New York City, and graduated from Pratt Institute with a major in advertising. After graduation, he served in the Army as a 1st Lieutenant, Airborne and Ranger qualified. Post-military, he worked for twenty-plus years as an art director, TV producer, and creative director at a number of Manhattan ad agencies. He also taught advertising at The School of Visual Arts.
In the mid-nineties, Al began to paint; he studied with Burton Silverman 1998-2000. He paints in watercolor, oil, and pastels, and is primarily a portraitist. Since 2001, his work has been in over 125 national and international exhibitions. A sampling of his work can be seen at www.alzerriesart.com.
A native of Newark, New Jersey, Jean graduated cum laude from Rutgers University with a major in English Literature, a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Shortly thereafter, she met Al, who'd been working in advertising for about half a year. Although she was attending graduate school, he persuaded her to assemble a copywriter's portfolio. It clicked, and she spent the next 25 years at various New York agencies, as a copywriter and creative director.
The Zerries live on Long Island. They have two adult sons, Zachary and Z. Morgan.