Artist Statement
Ever since I can remember, I have been interested in making art about characters and their stories. Faces fascinate me in particular because it is there that the story begins. A face can portray a roadmap of one’s life, and expression can say more than words. Picking up a pencil or brush to breathe life into humans, robots, fantasy creatures, animals and as-yet uncreated beings is what drives me as an artist. I create worlds of humor, warmth, imagination and heartache. These settings are the backdrop for the stories I want to share with others.
Coming from a background of realistic drawing, I find that using an abstract style opens up new possibilities for experimentation and storytelling, allowing people to be challenged and examine their own thoughts and beliefs. Execution of detail and superior workmanship are critical in my work, causing the viewer to give closer inspection to each piece. I believe the art process should be fun, and experimentation is essential. After years of doing tightly-rendered realism, I wanted to let go of photo reality and explore this new style, letting elements speak for themselves with organic flair instead of factual representation. I call my style ‘whimsical’. In this style, perspective is playful, colors crash together and bodies sing with the fluid movement of not-so-real rendering.
I know a piece is finished when it ‘pops’, or, when it no longer calls out for something to be added to it. Tile mastik is a big part of the work I do. It assists in texturing and in suspending layers of translucent jewel-toned color for dimension. By placing colors over each other, but letting the previous hue shine through, each colored section sings its own song, but works together in the whole composition. Although my favorite tool is a pencil, I have learned to translate the art of drawing into the paint and collage media. Acrylic is my medium of choice because I like the speed with which I can work and change direction.
My influences range from stories, whether from books, movies or real life. For technique, I am moved by other artists’ work, and also pick up elements from nature and even tv commercials. Michelangelo's drawing, Robert Rauschenberg, Kurt Schwitters, Pablo Picasso and Alphonse Mucha.
It is my hope that the art I create will inspire people, whether to exercise their own artistic skills, or just to be entertained, but most of all, to look past the obvious in the world around them and slow down long enough to examine the details.
