How to Build an Island Painting

A native to the Midwest, I have always been drawn to nature, be it the sea that stemmed from childhood trips to the coast and a young introduction to snorkeling, or the rock formations out west during summer excursions. Along with learning about Hemingway through my father, his tale of an old man battling elements beyond him, and the fact that we know more about foreign worlds than our own, the encompassing truth and mystery of our planet's identity has ever fascinated me. My work conveys the relationship between us and the key elements of nature, whether hostile or dependent, and the delicate balance of how we coincide with each other. Using colors, shapes, and texture over multiple layers, I explore the comfort and animosity of a place revisited or newly imagined, continuously experimenting with visual depth, and incorporating a certain emotion as a map spills from mind to the canvas.