Don't Look Them in the Eye Painting

Contrast can be evocative in conveying ideas and emotion. I look for contrasting elements, color, value and concepts to captivate viewers. I seek to envelope people in the work emotionally or juxtapose contrasting objects to create questions. I simplify images and experiences, strip them down to the basic elements so that one can relate to the work. The subjects are often familiar so that they can resurface memories or emotions of individuals. I strive to have a story that people can identify with and become a part of. I’m an architect, painter and photographer located in Chicago, while I grew up in rural Nebraska. This duality of rural and urban is often prevalent in my work. I often draw upon childhood memories of vast landscapes and quiet solitude while exploring the contrasting urban environment I’m in today. Living in a city full of life and culture is something that I hadn’t experienced as a youth. I've begun to look at the concept of self in a critical way and translate these discoveries and deep-rooted memories and experiences into conceptual work. As I draw from these experiences and environments, the people that inhabit them, and my own place in the world, I find myself more connected, aware and in the moment.