I have been a professional artist for over twenty years. During that time, my artistic expression has grown in direct correlation with personal self-awareness.  Creativity is constantly flowing but there are times when I am unable to receive this creativity because I simply get in my own way.  Through different modalities I try to quiet my mind and simply watch things unfold from within.  This is where my art arises.   As an artist it is my job to bring back something honest and vulnerable to the surface for the viewer to experience.  People often ask where I get my inspiration from, and my answer is usually some version of this: I was raised by art collectors with a very eclectic collection of art.  Southwestern pottery and paintings, Alaska Native art, modern wooden and stone sculpture, antique Persian rugs, gothic and midcentury modern architecture, Japanese textiles, the list goes on.  Mix all of this with my own exploration of everything from pop art, illustration, tattoo art, all things vintage including psychedelic rock posters and here we are.  When I look inside for my art to express itself, it has no choice but to be a culmination of everything that I have ever experienced. I make it a point to stay blissfully unaware of current trends.  I do not search for inspiration outside of myself.  I feel that by doing this, what comes up and out of me is authentic and not influenced by what I may think will get a piece to sell.  I am in a very unique position that I can produce artwork in this manner, and believe that the authenticity shows through in the art that I produce.  Using fundamental composition and an intentional color pallet, I test the viewer’s expectations of what a static form is capable of.  By incorporating a strong sense of movement, I strive to achieve a unique sculptural quality within each piece.  When someone views a piece in person, I hope that my execution and their expectations meet somewhere in the middle…this is where the magic of art can be found. 

I tend to get flooded with artistic inspiration all at once. During these times is when I get as much design work done as possible. I will have stacks of ideas sketched out on paper with rough ideas. After they are out of my head and onto paper is when I get to work on the technical aspect of things. I tidy up all of my ideas and make them workable onto canvas.  Composition is fine-tuned, and a color pallet decided on.  Once all of this is done, I transfer the image to canvas with an old overhead projector like we used to have in school.  After the image is transferred, I use tape to mask off one individual color. Once masked, I paint that color (usually a few coats), then move onto the next color. After all of this is done its time for touch up work, which involves a tiny brush fixing up any and all loose edges.  Being a professional tattoo artist for the past 22 years has trained me to keep things very tight and crisp. 

Fun little side story…A while back I was asking my dad about some of my favorite pieces in his collection.  One of his pottery pieces is from an artist that was represented by The Art Spirit Gallery! It is an honor to be in such good company.