Statement
My art is both traditional studio arts and graphic design. Being able to share and inspire the creative process in others is a major motivator in my life. Studio work is studio work. I see the distinction between traditional studio arts such as painting and the traditional commercial arts such as graphic design as an artificial barrier that separates that which is the really the same. They are both about creation and communication. I work in my studio so that I may create and communicate.
I used to think there would be a balance where I could spend part of the day painting and part of day designing. It would be a happy utopia. My reality is a bit different. I work in bursts. I do the necessary research and preparatory work, then I dive in head first focusing on only one discipline at a time. I paint for a few months. Then I set down my brushes and pick up my mouse and repeat the process doing design work. It goes back and forth. There is no guilt that I am neglecting one over the other. They are both about creation and both about communication. It really is that simple.
I use oil paint because I respond the sensual nature of the medium. It has a particular flow off the bristles of the brush. The tactile response of using wet paint into wet paint brings the act of painting alive. With the surface malleable, I blend new colors into old. The small size of these paintings allows me the time to paint before it dries. Another facet of the small size is the single focus of energy contained in each painting. Each painting is not a long drawn out affair but instead the culmination of a focused burst of creativity. This creates a consistent “feel” to the painting as a whole. It makes it more accurate in its reflection of the essence of the image.