Inspiration

 

I am inspired by many things, least of which includes technology and modern media overload. I find myself looking at portraiture for guidance, not as means of expression – but to guide my work to higher ideals and pursuits. I like realist painters, but stop short of realism in my figurative work due to my obsessive compulsive need to create a ‘mystical’ landscape or a nod to the folk element of my self taught nature.

I was trained as an illustrator, so my concept of high contrast with value is omnipresent. I try to escape this through color and true value, softer brushwork and strong composition. All of this I think about before I work, yet I let most of it go as I proceed – banking on my love and skill set to guide.

 

Education and technique beguile me. At the height of my artistic process, when I created a process for to drive the work – I found it disheartening, and pulled from my galleries. I became obsessed with underpainting and drawing, not convinced I understood anything I teach or imply, which lets in demons. I meditate on process now, and see process as the most important aspect – or you fly into a storm and inevitably crash.