Artist’s Statement
Painting is a secret enterprise, a place where curiosity and aesthetics meet in negotiation. In a world overwhelmed by spectacle and acceleration, it offers me a private space to question, to search, and to feel. My practice is grounded in the tactile and the temporal: I mix colors, stretch canvas, move pigment, and in doing so, slow down the relentless pace of modern life. We live in a strange time, shaped by ecological collapse, hyperactive media, and technological upheaval. The images that surround us are bizarre in their coexistence: fast food ads, disaster coverage, historical trauma, sports highlights, and AI-generated imagery all collapse into the same digital medley. I draw from this stream, selecting found imagery that holds tension—fragments that can be replicated, distorted, or reassembled. Each painting becomes a site for quiet examination, a means of recontextualizing the noise into something still, strange, and meaningful. This process is both instinctual and deliberate. Composition, drawing, and the physical act of painting are central to how I think. My studio is not just a workspace but a threshold—between image and interpretation, memory and media, sensation and meaning. Through my work, I aim to offer moments of pause. Glimpses of stillness in a visually saturated world. These paintings are invitations to reflect, to look longer, and to wonder what it means to be present, to observe, and to care in an era that threatens to dissolve all of that.
Biography
I am originally from the Midwest, I grew up in Indiana and Michigan. During my undergraduate years, I was a college football player and three-year letter winner at the University of Michigan. After college, I spent two years working in the budding film industry in New Orleans, LA, where I became increasingly engaged with the local art scene. For several years, I traveled extensively, connecting with various art communities and participating in local art events. This experience fueled my passion for art and led me to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree at Montana State University, with the goal of becoming a college educator and inspiring young people to pursue artistic careers. Currently, I teach at Northern Arizona University and Coconino Community College in Flagstaff, AZ. I am also a practicing artist, actively involved in local art events and fundraisers. My conceptual interests include mass media and technological innovation. I am dedicated to fostering creativity and critical thinking in my students, and I am committed to contributing to the vibrant contemporary artistic community both in and outside of the classroom.