About
I make art because art can reflect, engage, and transform the soul of an individual, a community and the status of the human condition. Each painting or drawing I create brings a different story which influences my understanding of concepts, media and the way I look at art and its place in society.
My most recognizable work is in dialogue with previous Regionalist art. I combine my regard for this tradition with my own artistic ‘voice’ in order both to preserve as well as create something contemporary and unique. I engage in this style because it relates best with the viewers that I encounter most. This process requires a systematic approach. First, I need a solid understanding of the subject, the location, the prospective viewer and the patron. I take this information and use it to create a composition. Next I find and photograph models and gather additional reference material to create a final draft. The final draft is then transferred to canvas and then I begin to paint. The process takes a few months.
Because it is such an involved process to work on commissioned paintings, I like to release myself on side projects when I have extra time. These works are sometimes challenging experiments in style, media and concepts or just an idea I’ve had in my head for too long. They can vary from gut reactions to current national and world issues to illustrations of friends and family. I have made sculptures in clay and bronze, collages from construction paper and roofing tar, and oil paintings using just palette knives. Sometimes these ideas come from an inner place in my thoughts and at other times they are abstract forms from my subconscious. By creating artwork that has little if any preplanning I’ve been able to keep art fresh, interesting, and ever changing to both the viewers and myself.
I believe that by the end of my life the variety of artwork that I created will represent a cohesive collection of work that defines certain parts of myself, and the society in which I lived.