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Welcome to My World!
Here, you'll find a fusion of diverse influences and inspirations that have shaped my journey as an artist. Embracing both traditional techniques and cutting-edge technology, I strive to capture the essence of nature, modern life, and ancient cultures. I invite you to explore my work and connect with the stories and emotions woven into each piece.
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My Early Life and Inspirations
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest; living in Seattle while often visiting family in the farmlands of Eastern Washington. I was fortunate to experience both city life as well as farm life, while being surrounded by the incredible beauty of (then) mostly undeveloped and undisturbed landscapes.
My grandmother was Native American, from a tribe known as the Yakama. My father also worked for a number of indigenous tribes, occasionally bringing me to tribal gatherings such as pow wows. This exposed me to my ancient and indigenous cultural roots.
After high school, I moved to Georgia for some time, working and going to college. It was there that I took art classes, and learned to cultivate my interests in drawing, painting, mixed media and sculpture. After an on-the-job injury forced me out of physical labor, I trained myself in the area of computer science, and now have a 40-year background in tech. To this day, I leverage technology to propel my aspirations in creating my art.
After college, I moved back to Seattle and pursued my career in technology as well as art. I was fortunate to have a large studio to work in, and exhibited in several art shows.
When I moved to Los Angeles 30 years ago (where I still live), I was quickly immersed in a sprawling, urban environment filled with modern (pop) culture and modern art. This led me to explore new ideas and new concepts that have culminated into a fusion between street art and iconic culture.
I now bring all of this together into the work you see here.
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My Artistic Influences
My (more traditional) work is heavily influenced by artists like Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and Wassily Kandinsky. And my “Dreamcatchers” series is influenced by the works of René Magritte, Salvador Dali and M.C. Escher.
I love pop culture and street art: Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michele Basquiat and even street artists like Banksy and Mr. Brainwash are all inspirations. In fact, one gallerist where I was showing coined the phrase, “Street Pop” when talking about my work because of how I combined street art with pop icons.
Of course, ancient indigenous art is a prime influence for my “Origins” series. While attending a Communications class at the same time as an Art History class, I began to see how ancient symbols formed the basis of communication; the cornerstone of understanding the world around us. A prehistoric cave painting sparked a lifelong journey to highlight the stories depicted in ancient symbols.
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Evolution and Continued Journey of My Art
Over the years, my artistic journey has led me through various art media and styles. I began with drawing and simple painting, gradually expanding into different media such as watercolor, oils, acrylics, illustrative board and printmaking; even sculpture and jewelry.
As much as I have worked (separately) in each medium, I started to bring them together to form new work. Over time I've added spray paint and even house paint into the mixed media pieces I’ve created. I then incorporated other materials to create more textured and sculptural elements in my works.
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“Street Pop”
Street art draws me in with its graffiti, murals, stencils, and posters in public spaces. I appreciate how it often addresses social and political issues with raw authenticity. And Pop art attracts me with its bold colors and recognizable imagery from popular culture, like advertising and comic books. I admire how it has become a critique of consumerism and mass production.
Like the collaborations between Warhol and Basquiat, the “Street Pop” works I create reflect on modern culture in comparison (and contrast) to nostalgic time periods.
Just as we seek to make sense of the information and urban decay that surrounds us, these works embody our desire to “create order out of chaos.”
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“Dreamcatchers”
As a teenager, I spent a lot of time drawing surrealistic scenes. I was introduced to illustrative boards (or scratchboard) in a general art class. I was so enamored by it, I made an entire series of surrealist scratchboard pieces in black and white I called, “Windows,’’ which, by the way, I named before the software existed. Each piece was segmented into smaller vignettes, like windows into other worlds. It was rewarding, but extremely time-intensive.
Through three decades of using graphic design software, I developed a digital process to create larger pieces that had the same feel as traditional printmaking. Taking a queue from Native American culture, I named the series, “Dreamcatchers,” expressing surrealism as a dream state; a subconscious “window” to the soul.
The works themselves are based on the mathematical principle of the “Golden Ratio”, using intersecting lines (only during the creation process), objects are placed together to draw your eye around the surrealistic environment. Each piece contains approximately 80-100 layers of images and backgrounds blended together to form what you see. They are purposely created in black and white, initially to mimic a traditional printmaking style, but – more importantly – allowing the viewer to determine what is sky, land, or water.
Each limited edition giclee is 48” square. I found this was large enough to fully engage the viewer in the environment while also providing me opportunities to place objects that are no more than ½” in size into parts of the works. The viewer could spend hours searching through each piece; perpetuating a waking dream state.
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“Origins”
Growing up I visited a number of Native American sites in the Pacific Northwest that contained pictograms (cave paintings) and petroglyphs (rock carvings). While taking an Art History class in college I saw a 15,000-year-old painting of a group of warriors, found in a cave in Spain. I noticed there were similarities across cultures in how prehistoric artists depicted their environment, and how they expressed their world.
I wanted to replicate these symbols on surfaces that also resemble the cave or rock on which they were carved or painted. So I developed a painting and texturing technique that mimicked stone or rock. Using large art paper, I painted, textured, and then hand-ripped these into smaller pieces, arranging them to appear as a rock wall; later into whole landscapes.
In order to accurately represent the ancient artwork, I created linocut reliefs that I used to “print” images onto the textured surfaces. I would then add more texture and even gold leaf to become sculptural reliefs that stand out against the backdrop of the surface.
As you look at an “Origins” piece, you can see three unique perspectives: 1) overlooking a geographic location from above; 2) looking eye-level at the paintings or carvings, and; 3) looking up, as if to the sky. Each perspective represents how the prehistoric artist viewed their world and interrupted what they saw and experienced.
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Digital Art and Beyond
In the last 10 years I delved into the world of digital art. Since I am constantly creating digital mockups to execute my concepts into physical art, it was a natural progression for me to work with the tools to create purely digital works. I combine digital photography, digital drawing and painting, and manipulate layered elements to form unique, colorful works that embody the various style(s) of the many artists that have influenced me.
Most recently I have explored AI (Artificial Intelligence)-variant art. While I have no desire to create work through a simple text prompt, I use my own artwork to have AI generate variations. Sometimes the variations inspire me toward new directions in my own art. It’s become an interesting relationship that combines a deep technical background with a traditional art sensibility.
The process can often be “hit-or-miss,” so most of what is generated I don’t use. That being said, I have close to 4,000 works, which I continue to add to this site.
As a continual desire to bring my art to the world, I’ve also created a YouTube channel that showcases 30-minute volumes of my AI-variant works; each video containing nearly 150 images. I am hoping to introduce my art to new audiences, transforming their phones and smart televisions into a personal art gallery with my artwork on display.
I am constantly striving to challenge myself and explore new frontiers in art. This is the evolution and continuation of my journey to manifest the dreams, visions, and reflections of my world.
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Exhibitions and Recognitions
My work has been showcased along the West Coast, from Seattle to Los Angeles over the years. The Jeanie Madsen Gallery in Santa Monica became the semi-permanent home for my work, showing and selling many pieces. My “Dreamcatchers” works were also part of a “Black & White” group show at BG Gallery (also in Santa Monica). I’ve also had a number of pop-up style shows. These experiences have been invaluable, allowing me to connect with a broader audience and receive recognition for my unique artistic voice.
I appreciate having art collectors from all over the world own my work, and I would love for you to become one of them.
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Looking Ahead
As an artist I’m excited about the future and the endless possibilities it brings. My commitment to pushing the boundaries of my creativity remains steadfast, and I look forward to sharing my journey with you.