Comic book artists were among my earliest artistic influences. I still remember being 9 years old and riding my bike to the corner of Madison Ave. and Stop 11 in Indianapolis to buy the latest issue of The Uncanny X-Men. I would race home, flop onto the end of my bed, and be totally enraptured by the artwork and the stories. I used to look at the news print with a magnifying glass and marvel at the way an entire world could be created with simple tiny dots. I used to draw the characters ... view more »
Comic book artists were among my earliest artistic influences. I still remember being 9 years old and riding my bike to the corner of Madison Ave. and Stop 11 in Indianapolis to buy the latest issue of The Uncanny X-Men. I would race home, flop onto the end of my bed, and be totally enraptured by the artwork and the stories. I used to look at the news print with a magnifying glass and marvel at the way an entire world could be created with simple tiny dots. I used to draw the characters over and over and I remember feeling empowered by the ability to bring a blank piece of paper to life with just a pencil. I have never lost that wonder. Even today, whenever I open an old comic book, the aroma of the news print takes me right back to that time in my life and I immediately feel the urge to draw.
Currently, I draw inspiration from many modern watercolorists, but I also love to study the work of the French Impressionists along with ancient Chinese brush and ink art. I love to study the way the artists from the Op Art movement create extremely interesting images and I try to borrow some of their techniques for line and pattern. I still gather a lot of inspiration from comic book and graffiti art.
I’m a watercolorist first and I truly believe that the best watercolors of all time are being created today and for good reason. There is something primitive and divine about using water as a medium. The untamed nature of the watercolor medium is what sets it apart from other media. I always try to use the watermarks and blemishes that a watercolor wash can leave behind as a design tool to excite the viewer’s eye.
In all of my work, I strive to give the viewer’s eye what it wants to see. Hopefully, I can hold the eye for a moment and maybe even surprise it. With my figurative art, I want to challenge the viewer to wrestle with some of the same life concepts that I wrestle with. I want to show the viewer what I’ve learned thus far about life and painting.
I’ve exhibited with the National Watercolor Society, Watercolor Society of Indiana, and Southside Art League of Indianapolis. I’m a signature member of the Watercolor Society of Indiana and I’ve had work on display at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the Johnson County Museum of History.
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