statement The epic experience of everyday life is
what I'm most interested
in depicting through my paintings; how special
is a moment that might go unnoticed; how bizarre and surreal
some things are that we've
adapted into our psyches as normal. My chosen subject
matter tends to be animals, people, cities, landscapes,
and mild social fiascos with nostalgic undertones.
I am influenced by dreams for their nonlinear quality;
shadows because they are definite but obscure; old photographs for history,
and children for their wicked naivete. I like
to paint decay and cheer simultaneously, narrate caution, and
represent beauty. While the imagery of each painting may differ,
the underlying sentiment is always the same.
I start each piece by slathering gesso
onto a board or canvas, and after it has dried
I begin to paint a collage of images onto the white field.
I generally paint from photographs but I do not trace anything
because I prefer the awkward quality of rendering it by hand.
Once the piece has been laid out I let the painting direct
me to its completion. Color choices and brushwork aren't
usually premeditated because this stage of the process is
very intuitive. I use basic oil paints and lots of linseed
oil for a smeary quality. I welcome mistakes because they
generally invite me to take the painting into a new realm
aesthetically.
The youngest of six kids, I grew up on
a dairy farm in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York.
I received a Bachelor's degree
in sociology from The State University of New York
in New Paltz, NY in 1994, and an Associate's degree in
graphic design and illustration from Seattle Central Community
College in 2001. My painting career began in 2002 in Seattle
where I exhibited and sold my work at a variety of
alternative and non-profit art spaces. I moved to Asheville,
North Carolina in the summer of 2003, and have been showing my work
regionally and nationally ever since. Currently I produce a
public access television show called "Art Seen Asheville"
which documents the burgeoning art scene of Asheville, North Carolina. |