I’ve Spent The Past Several Years Redefining My Art, And I Think It’s Working

Growing up in the rural flat lands of Carrollton, Illinois, I found adventure and imagination within the woods and cornfields that bordered my childhood. In the corn lived the infinite possibilities that defined the world I lived in. While I would stand there amid the vastness and gaze down those narrow rows, I often contemplated the possibility that I was not alone. Amongst the trees that climbed skyward and weaved themselves together, I found safety in the traps and shelters that I created.

I would create elaborate narratives and immerse myself in them, often performing them alone in the surroundings that I drew inspiration from. Eventually, my tales would no longer die in the woods, but would live their lives on paper in the form of crudely drawn characters. My love for drawing continued to grow throughout my life, and in 2003 I enrolled at The Illinois Institute of Art- Schaumburg, with a focus on 2D animation. There my storytelling gained a new life and complexness that I could only express sequentially.

In 2009 an adventure lead me to California. While exploring the steeps of San Francisco, I caught a glimpse of contemporary art and culture that was previously unknown to me. Obsessed about becoming a part of this newly discovered world and with no outlet to feed my hunger, I taught myself to paint.

Today, I hail from San Jose, California. Often trapped in my own thoughts, my narrative is played out through my oil paintings.

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