This page is a joy to present.
My paintings are impossible to properly photograph because they tend to change color depending on the angle and when the color changes, the form changes. That and I prefer my finished pieces to have a glossy sheen. I want them to look wet which translates to “good luck photographing these without reflections and glare.”
Each piece is a mesmerizing experience; most of my acrylic pieces capture a very specific, nonverbal energy and cannot be described easily.
On the plus side, AI literally cannot steal my art. For example: the painting on this page has blues and violets that are not in the photograph. And if I take a photograph where those colors are visible, others disappear and the shapes change.
On the down side, my paintings are impossible to photograph well and look a lot better in person. So… “Tik Tok Artist” is probably not in my future (though dramatic irony may demand it now that I’ve said this).
Another down side is that “pouring” has become popular on YouTube. I use various mediums to create certain effects in my paintings and some kind people think I’m doing pours. But I’m not.
Fingerpainting, baby.
Well, primarily fingerpainting, anyway. I like to get my hands in the goop and move it around, making shapes, color gradients, and layered depth. Sometimes, I’ll use other tools to get specific effects, but my digits do most of the work.
The ideas come through from that mysterious “other place” that good ideas inhabit natively. My hope is that there is as little of me in my work as possible. “What I think” doesn’t matter. The pure magic and power of the idea matters. If I can catch a great, pure idea and make it real, I’m happy. My wish in working this way is that YOUR imagination is empowered, awakened, and engaged. From my perspective, that’s what separates great Art from the mediocre or everyday.
If I am just “saying something”, why bother putting a painting in the way? I can just say it. But if my painting stirs YOU into “saying something”, even if you can’t quite catch what that might be consciously, then I’ve succeeded.
To further this end and embolden this approach, I arrange my painting space as a ritual space — fertile ground for the Muses to sing through me. I paint by candlelight because it forces me to imagine what I’m doing and to understand how it’s going to work, rather than relying on strategies and gimmicks. Again, if I’m trying to think my way through this sort of divine, magical process, I can’t possibly make great work.
I believe that painting is a sacred affair in both the creation of a quality work and the enjoyment of such a work. The purity of the idea and the execution matters more than the ego’s desire to “express itself”.
My frankness hasn’t scared you off if you’ve made it this far.
Thank you.