You came all the way here…I like you

I grew up with campfires and fry sauce in a small town in Idaho, and began my career painting at the age of 18 when I left America to travel. I painted murals along the way to fund the plane tickets, and it was within this time I started focusing on fine art. What makes it ‘fine’ I don’t know, I never went to art school.

Am I supposed to write this in third person?

I am tremendously interested in so much…  (place me in any room and watch me spin) but most of all I am interested in the arrangement of color. I can’t get enough of the relationships within it. If I stare long enough I think I could answer just about any question. And I would love to share a bit of my world with you. That's what I’m here for. ( Or at least that's what I’ve decided I’m here for Viktor Frankl.)

Everything I paint is done with a brush as I believe seeing brush strokes is like seeing a hand written letter. My fine art is done in acrylic,  oil,  and occasional human tears. 

*segway*

Now.

My intention….Ah…

It took a long time for me to even begin articulating it. I still am trying to. Painting feels like I am bumping up against the edges of my comprehension. I like it that way and don’t want to tug on it too hard in attempt to tack things down. What I know is that I am fiercely in love with this world, even if I don’t like parts of it. I love, and I mean love, the vast spectrums of this place. How it inhales and exhales, how it burns then rains, brings us to our knees and then lifts us off them, challenging us with its kaleidoscope of dualities. I paint those a lot; dualities. They make us face ourselves. Death next to birth, and fireflies inside darkness.

I spent many years trying to find the words to describe what I hope my paintings provide for the world, but the truth is I don’t know with certainty. I want people to know they aren’t alone, that the core of you is good, that hope is threaded into our blood even when we feel empty, and that we are all loved…but that seems a lot to ask from a painting. So, I paint what feels beautiful and honest. Beautiful and honest is a good map.

….Thank you for reading until the end. If I ever were to meet you I am sure we would be friends.