Fine Art
Artistic Vision
My paintings are a landscape of time and space which cause us to pause and reflect on ourselves and the world at large.
I view my work as a reflection of my belief in the value of human life, and our unique ability to define our being through art. I attempt to infuse a sense of antiquity in my work which reminds us of the past but also grounds us in the here and now, making us hopeful as we carry this mythology into the future.
You will notice that my work is comprised of icons from the past as well as images from the everyday, combined with painterly contemporary elements, and a sense of mythology and fairy tale. I believe that capturing whimsy in my work doesn’t make the art less serious since it’s an important component of nurturing mankind.
My personal journey with painting mythology has evolved from beginning with a landscape as a foundation that represents the earthly things seen and felt and then colliding that image with the ethereal or spiritual world to create a whimsical fairy tale full of emotion. I hope my depiction of this myth world will awaken people to their own mythology, and therefore embrace life.
My design work is also inspired by antiquity and the ever-evolving presence of everyday life with an attempt to manipulate scale. I approach my work from the philosophy of timeless design, which is in deference to my respect for posterity in this current world of trend and disposability. My fine art remains a vital source of inspiration from which I can expand the design vocabulary and possibility for wallcoverings and fabrics.
Inspirations in 2010 and Beyond
Lately, I have been working in larger formats in order to tell the kinds of stories I am feeling. In many ways, these stories are more intimate than they use to be, but an intimate scale is the opposite of what I have been trying to create with my paintings. I now want my art to envelope you at a more human scale. In some ways, I believe this desire generates from the custom fine art interiors I have created through the years.
Many of my newer paintings have some defacing as a political statement or a reaction to seeing more human hardship in the way the world is evolving. I have a concern that the destructive things going on are negating the present and the past and run the risk of negating the future. My paintings have traditionally allowed viewers to see the first layer all the way through to the last layer. My new work showcases an exploration of graffiti which begins to obscure that transparency.
I’ve been working to capture what I already feel is happening as well as express my discontent with the movement as my reaction. To me, these paintings are more succinct than my earlier work. Elements are interwoven in a new way to manifest themselves differently with greater meaning, and ultimately, I want people who experience them to leave remaining hopeful and motivated to protect the landscape of their own mythology. My work remains a celebration of sanctuary.