I am a visual artist based in Chicago. I began painting at a local art school at the age of six and have never really put my paint brushes down. As a young artist I had always been under the impression I needed to find a “style” and fit my work within the constraints of that style. I resisted for many years as I had always been interested in all forms of artistic expression. I couldn’t imagine choosing just one way to focus my career. I also didn’t like feeling as though my creativity was being limited just so that my work would fit into one specific category.
At some point in college, I discovered the artist Gerhard Richter, and he rocked my world. Seeing a wildly successful artist like Richter thrive while not committing to any single media or style was life changing; it made me realize I didn’t need to settle either. Up to this point I had always painted in a traditional, realistic style but I began to branch out and explore the endless possibilities of abstract art. I now consider myself a versatile artist not limited to any single style or medium.
I draw a great amount of inspiration from nature and the everyday moments I view around me. While I enjoy inventing scenes that may not exist in our physical world, I am also interested in recreating moments I’ve captured through my photography and in working from a client’s imagination or photographs. For me, painting abstractly has always been more expressive and freeing, whereas painting from a reference is always structured and satisfying. I find it extremely rewarding to work in both realms; and in that way I don’t tire of either.
Currently my work moves back and forth between abstraction and realism as I aim to create interesting and beautiful art that challenges and rewards both the viewer and me. I sell many commissioned pieces and also explore pushing new frontiers in my own work.
I am comfortable using photo references or painting abstractly and/or from my imagination. My work usually falls into one of three categories: oil, mixed media, or oil and cold wax.
While my exact process varies from piece to piece, I always try to begin each painting as playfully as possible. I will often start a piece with my trademark move of “making it rain.” I do this by thinning the oil paint to a very drippy liquid consistency and applying an initial thin layer to drip down the canvas to create cool and interesting textures. Then begins the dance of adding layers and letting them dry and using the drying time to look at a piece before making any additions or edits; in this way, I can work on multiple pieces at once. This dance continues until I feel the piece is complete.
