About My Work and Me
Statement
My art revolves around the urban, everyday environment. I take the objects, people, and scenes easily accessible to me in my surroundings and through a process of slow, mindful observation, look for something new in them, as a stranger might take in a new culture.
As part of this process, I experiment with unconventional blends of styles and techniques, mixing figurative and landscape approaches, nature and culture, and the machine-made and handmade.
People have described what I do as a mixture of the concerns and poetics of the social realists, along with the spontaneity and mark-making of the abstract expressionists.
Materials and Techniques
I rely heavily on improvisation and instinct at the easel, because working off the seat of my pants feels more honest and adventurous.
Rather than aim for photographic precision, I throw identifiable elements together with abstract components, nurturing not only a more organic process but infusing the work with psychology and nuance.
The arsenal includes oils, acrylics, spray paint, collage, stencils, and silkscreens—all meticulously handcrafted into a richly layered keepsake. Don’t get me started on the cost of these materials or the painstaking attention to detail that goes into each piece, or I might burst into tears.
Bio
I didn’t start out as a full-time artist. Before I turned to painting two decades ago, I worked in various careers as a computer programmer, high school teacher, and translator across five countries—Canada, Venezuela, Britain, Italy, and Spain. Today, my art can be found in collections all over the world (which goes to show that if you’re average at enough things, something will eventually click).
When not tirelessly creating art in the studio, I enjoy playing the violin, rock climbing, ice hockey, and bird watching.
Born in Ontario, Canada, I now live in the land of palm trees and top-notch plastic surgery, Orange County, CA. I have a supportive spouse and a couple of daughters who manage to be both adorable and mildly terrifying at the same time.