Inspiration can come in many forms, but I have always let my emotions take the leading role in the stories for my paintings.  Sadness, happiness, hopelessness, pain – these deceivingly simple feelings have had a strong impact on how I portray my ideas.  Paired with these emotions, I have been able to develop ideas from my reactions to things I’ve observed with people, trends, and events in society.  With my work, I strive to create a number of different narratives within a single frame. Life is complex and strange, and people have individual reactions to the things they go through.  My intention is to allow the viewer to use the events in their life as a way to connect with the stories of my paintings and, in turn, form a story for themselves.  I want to create something that people have questions about – something with a message, but still ambiguous and open to the viewer’s own interpretation.

 

     My recent work has been moving towards a more realistic approach as I find it aesthetically pleasing to try to recreate reality as I see it.  My process usually involves me taking a few days to develop an idea and then staging myself in different places, positions, and atmospheres as a sort of photo-shoot for the painting.  I take full advantage of technology in order to composite my references and sketches.  In my past work, I have used techniques to keep the figures anonymous; however, with my recent paintings I believe it is important to show that I am the person within the art.  This continuity helps the viewer understand the idea behind the painting, but still allows for multiple scenarios and interpretations to occur.  Above all, my true goal is to create work that is strong and evocative and continues to resonate with people long after I am gone. Because sometimes I feel like I need to tell a story…and words are just not enough.