Artist Statement

In my artwork, my objectives are subjective. I attempt to move myself. I strive to impact myself in the same way other artwork impacts me. I try to affect other people the way others have affected me. There’s nothing more satisfying and emotionally exhilarating than the feeling we get from absorbing a piece of artwork that encapsulates and relates to us completely. Pride consumes me when I am able to see that I can stir or have stirred people and how I can do the same to myself. My motivation is derived from this reality. It is the fuel to my fire.
Balance and contrast tend to be patterns in my work. In my photography, my photos are often slightly overexposed and highly saturated for a very high contrast appearance. The pieces of music I like usually have very distinctive beats and melodies creating contrasting sounds. My favorite subjects to draw are ones that are made distinct by intense lighting. Powerful shading and emphasis on shadows appeals to me most.
I was taught to draw individual features first when drawing portraits of people. I never really did this—I always found that when I did, the drawings would come out misshapen or plainly distasteful. I tend to draw the hard lines I see first—the outline of a cheek, a nose, a hairline, a chin, and things like that. I find this most helpful because everything on a face is relative to the things surrounding it. A portrait will end up looking most like a person if the features are properly positioned and proportioned in relativity to each other. Not only are my artistic objectives relative, but the content of my art is also relative to the subject, the media, and the matter itself.