Art was at the center of Posner’s life from his childhood in Trenton, New Jersey, until his death on July 9, 2025 at the age of 82. Although he earned a degree in English from New York University and served four years in the U.S. Navy, painting remained his enduring passion.

While serving in Vietnam, he began sketching fellow sailors, rekindling his commitment to art. Largely self-taught, he immersed himself in art history, studied the techniques of master painters, and developed his own distinctive approach. In 1974, he left writing to devote himself to painting full time.

Over the following decades, Posner exhibited widely, founded artists’ groups, taught painting, and published Posner’s Pocket Guide to Oil Painting. His work was included in Vietnam: Reflexes and Reflections, published by Harry N. Abrams in association with the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum.

An endlessly curious and inventive artist, Posner drew inspiration from art history, literature, everyday life, and the people around him. He documented his artistic journey in 26 volumes of journals filled with observations, sketches, and records of his paintings.