'Illumination' Artwork

I'm originally from long Island, New York. I moved to New Mexico in 1987. In 1992 I moved to the Phoenix, Arizona area. For me, it’s crucial to create artwork that is as innovative and distinctive as possible. This idea connects with the concept of ‘importance’, in terms of Art History. A strong artistic style helps separate my work from the art establishment and other artists. Beyond that, there’s the idea of merging visual art with the world of digital photography. I’ve gone back and forth between various media, and now focus on the merging of digital photography with oil painting. I enjoy creating photo elements that look ‘painterly’. I accomplish this with layers and filters in Photoshop. After a digital image is printed on canvas, I often add oil paint embellishments to help realize an integration of the two media. Subject matter? -anything and everything from figures to patterns to nature. Psychology is also interesting, encompassing emotional and mental/social states. ‘Beauty’ is important as an aesthetic challenge, and when successful can enable artwork to affect people at a gut level -a strong first impression. In every work there’s a juggling of formal elements, a goal of resolving questions of balance, color, movement… I feel that a degree of ambiguity can add depth to artwork, like posing questions that require interpretation.