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Artist Statement

Over the past several years, I have opened and directed two successful art galleries in Colorado. I have represented a number of wonderful and renowned artists, as well as myself. Many of these talented people were established in the art community and others I was proud to have helped to become established. I greatly enjoyed the years spent in the gallery environment and as much as I loved everyone I met and worked alongside of, it's time for me to look inward and grow from those experiences. Currently, I’m working in an internally focused studio environment. With a greater emphasis on my individual work. I am refining my styles and techniques and expanding my depth and capabilities.​ I'm growing.


 My formal education is in photography. However, I have been working in various mediums for as long as I have memories. I am self taught in the mediums that excite me. Acrylic, mixed media works, photography, iPhoneography and digital illustrations are all tributaries to the river of creativity that I drift upon.

 

In my painting, I generally work with broad, bold strokes, vibrant colors and multiple layers and textures. The subjects of my works originate from various topics of personal interest and curiosity.  A conversation with a good friend or total stranger can birth a spark of inspiration. My creative spirit is aroused from life, poetry and quotes and stories from historical or literary figures. My motivation can come from music, reading, current or historic events.  Sometimes new aspects are revealed by a hidden memory or sudden epiphany and can blossom from spontaneous interactions in everyday encounters. My most satisfying works come from that sublime space that we can never quite put our finger on. These are not pre-conceived or envisioned. I start with a clear mind and a blank canvas. Palette and brush in hand, I sequester enough time to get lost in the exploration, my thoughts dissipate and the adventure begins... I enjoy the dance. The energy builds as the piece starts revealing itself. Music is always vital to this progression. It becomes a mantra, aiding me in my escape. At some point, the work starts taking on its unique identity and the message becomes clear. I work through it until it has said what it needs to say and then I know the dance is complete.​

 

I imagine the process of creating is not much different for me than most other creative types, though, we all bring our personal experiences into the process. It’s cathartic. It’s at once invigorating and draining, a purging of energy, a cleansing of the soul, brush stroke after brush stroke, layer after layer; scratching and scraping, covering, uncovering and discovering. It is the dissection of a spirit, a revelation of emotion. It is the time that I feel, absolutely, the most alive.​

My purpose is to make a distinct commentary on a transient contemplation to convey a relationship between the ephemeral and the physical. My ambition is to create a thing which hungers… something striving to connect to others, and in a meaningful way, a conduit to their own similar experiences and curiosities.​

 

An artist’s life is like a tree; it has many branches and many paths to the light. It absorbs things many of us pay little attention to and translates them into something that our eyes and our spirits can process. If done correctly, it illuminates both of us.

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