“I consider it a great honor and a true 'calling' to be an artist. When I think of artists, I reflect on all the greats that have come before me. Names like Gruppe, Hassam, Hibbard, Homer, Hopper, Monet, Metcalf, Sargent, Strisik, Waugh, Winter, and Wyeth come to mind. These giants, along with a few contemporaries, have been by teachers. Though it may seem audacious, it is my goal to one day be grouped with these greats.
However, many people are confused in thinking that being an artist means that you must come up with something new and original which makes you, the individual, stand out. I and many others think that by knowing the past one comes to individuality in due course. Several painters may paint the same scene, but it will look different on each canvas. Being an artist is a very personal and often intangible thing. While I want my work to be reflective of my thoughts and emotions, it is not some way to call attention to myself. Rather, it is a journey of how I, along with others, collectively relate to the past, live in the present, and look towards future. It is by this mantra that great art is created and cherished beyond our years.
This is also the mantra which I hope shapes my career for the next several years. A great artist once told me that a good artist emulates, and a great artist steals like a thief, taking something from another’s work (i.e., not copying) and implementing it into your own. What he meant by this was that I could not paint like Hibbard or Homer if I wanted to, but I can see how they handled certain artistic problems and use their solutions to further develop my own language. Thus, over the next few years I hope to paint a series portraying subjects of changing light, values, compositions, and emotions using the past, present, and future as my guide.
I welcome and appreciate all of you who are involved in my art. Feel free to email me through the link above. And, as always, Thank -You!”