What inspires your art the most right now?

Storytelling has always my biggest inspiration. When an idea strikes, I begin to pencil down a narrative into my sketch book, and oftentimes that inspires a new painting.

How do you begin a new piece — do you plan it out or let it unfold organically?

My paintings tend to have folkloric themes running through them. Once I settle upon the theme, I adhere to it, and that guides the setting, the characters, and the “storyline”. The process unfolds on the canvas, more than in my brain.

Are there themes, emotions, or elements in nature that show up often in your work?

Animals and their mysterious lives are a theme that I frequently return to. However, I intentionally jump from theme to theme (music, magic, relationships) to pique my own interest and curiosity.

What do you hope people feel when they experience your art?

When people experience my art, I hope they feel like the painting means something, something that does not require a conscious or literally understanding, but just a sense that what they are looking at is quite different from “click bait”.  Also, I hope that they feel like going home and painting something, too.

How has your art evolved over time or through different seasons of your life?

Possibly the biggest evolution in my art is my approach to entertainment. I have come to understand that entertaining myself is far more important (and ultimately more successful) than trying to entertain anybody else. This mindset is very freeing…and not ironically, this sense of freedom tends to appear on the canvas.

Do you have a favorite piece in this current collection? If so, why?

My newest painting, the one that is upside-down, scratchy, half-finished, and seeking it’s life on my easel, is perpetually my favorite painting.