Artist's Statement

I never realized it when I studied fine art in college but the typical mediums did not resonate with my inner artist. Upon graduation I began learning the art of hand lettering and sign design in the art department of Six Flags, Inc. Later on, I began a career as a self-employed faux finish painter and muralist. The skills and techniques I learned and the products and mediums I became comfortable with as a professional became the very things I would later introduce into my fine art. It was a momentous occasion when I finally realized the only way to be true to myself as an artist was to abandon the traditional techniques and mediums I learned as a college student and utilize what I'd learned in the real world. By incorporating everything from old world plasters and automotive finishes to glazes and the use of spray rigs, I believe I've not only discovered a large part of who I want to be as a creator but also an unusual variety of techniques and mediums that work uniquely well together on canvas.

I'm very interested in finding an aesthetic balance between the distressed and the new. The organic and the man-made. Soft blends and hard lines. The raw and the refined. The chaotic and the controlled. My most recent works are an attempt to bring all of my artistic experiences together on a single substrate, blending all the colors and patterns I love while stretching and pushing myself to break free from my tendency to work with methods I've already proven to satisfy me. I want to be continually growing so I'm working with subject matter that suits my style but pushes the boundaries of what I'm comfortable with. I consider the differences in content you will observe in my current works to be a representation of my desire to push myself further within the use of all my favorite mediums; a strength rather than a weakness.