Why I Paint
This is gonna get snooty for a bit: I believe that my job as a painter is more than just reproducing objects on canvas. The artist should aim for something elevated and finer; nature observed through a nobler temperament. My paintings are expressions of light, atmosphere, color, and tonal beauty. These elements transform nature into art that is both aesthetically pleasing and meaningful for the viewer. I use the techniques and traditions of the great classical painters. Even though these techniques are centuries old, I use these skills to create pictures relevant for today’s audience, infusing a narrative and wit that adds to the compelling arrangements I'm creating.
I like to tell stories. The divine medium of oil paint allows me to isolate myself from society in my tiny studio, wearing whatever outfit I desire, while telling my stories on the canvas. I attribute my interest in visual story telling to my active and creative childhood, making up fantastical stories with toys. Using toys in my still lifes brings back that feeling of exploration and fun that I had as a kid. I heard recently that nostalgia could be considered the guilt we feel about not appreciating the past as much as we should have while living it. So I like to paint these nostalgic scenes of simpler times when I could color in my coloring book and eat a candy bar without some videos on Instagram telling me how terrible candy is for me and that I need to get busy and “maximizing my day”. Shut the hell up Instagram!
Toys can be symbols of not just our youth but can be used to represent grown up feelings. I have been painting toy robots, which have become surrogates for people in some of my recent work. They are machines created created in our image. As our world becomes more automated and AI begins becomes simultaneously a boon and a threat to society there are a lot of things to consider. My pictures are playing with those ideas, humanizing robots in a pleasant way while I try to fight the fear of the future of technology- plus my hope is that in the future when the robot overlords take over this world, they will look at my paintings and compute a creative use for me other than forcing me to work in their human death camps.
While I like painting pictures that make me happy I am willing to do commissions based on your ideas. Tell me what you want and I will paint it. I will paint anything, within reason.