Temptation in Paradise, Not So Subtle 12 Collage

History. My current work highlights the surreal mix of gritty reality and squeaky clean idealism that could be found in the newspapers of decades gone by. The jarring juxtaposition of news stories depicting soldiers returning from the Vietnam war alongside advertisements for the latest Zenith TV or surf movie that landed on Southern California doorsteps each morning via their daily newspaper delivery. I love the word play of the news headlines and wacky sales pitches of the advertisements. I layer clippings and elements of street landscape with vibrant paint colors. I treat each piece as a sponge that absorbs and allows me to build a history of layers that can be interpreted in infinite ways. I am a native Angeleno and currently live in the Los Angeles area. My artwork is part of private collections in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Honolulu and Austria. I head my own graphic design business, Digital Lava Graphic Design, which focuses on the entertainment industry, as well as institutes of higher education and nonprofit organizations.