My work represents stolen moments in life that strike me all the time. The sunsets that, in my mind, equaled a quiet escape from a reality I had no control over, and pure visual beauty. Just the sheer magic of the colors filled me with a calm I wouldn’t have known how to possibly put into words as a child, but still managed to imprint in my mind as the subject of what future paintings would be based on.
As I grew, and formed, and eventually found myself in a University for the Arts, the images that I had placed on the canvases needed a more substantial definition. So those images became the “collective intelligence” of a population through their psychological reaction to them. For me, they were the new Americana, ever expanding clouds, with vibrant colors that moved around within the borders of the canvases anchored by urban sprawl. Those moments embedded in my mind from long car rides, and rooftop contemplation. For the viewers, it was their religion, it was their memories, it was their music, it was their emotions. I became the voyeur taking notes, surprised and fascinated by the explanations and stories being attached to the pieces. I never realized a stranger could have a personal experience when viewing art that was specific to me, but at that time, I didn’t know why it was my own, and I couldn’t explain it, so I focused on the reactions and explanations of the viewers. That time was a time that was dedicated to observance, and growth, as a person, and as an Artist.
Then I moved to New York, and everything was all the time. The Images that I found myself drawn to were quieter, more abstract. They started to mimic the stolen moments I wanted to live in, but still held the faint memory of the modern American landscape. The images were from the back of a cab, or an airplane, or a walk along the water, alone. As time went on, and I learned how to navigate the world as an adult, my work leaned toward more specific platforms. Urban sprawl dressed across a landscape, despite how innocuous, became Man vs. nature, became climate change, became politics.
I believe artwork is truly successful when technique and skill are equivalent in importance to form and the communication of the imagery. It has been paramount for me as an Artist to always challenge myself, and to strive for technical mastery, which will continue to drive me for as long as I can hold a paintbrush. I still believe in the psychology that the images provoke, but now I am steering the conversation in a direction that is more thoughtful, thought provoking and has purpose.