New York Times Painting

I see color before I see anything else. Shapes just fade into the background unseen and unheard, drowned in a world of color that has a life of its own. Faces and voices turn into pure emotion and I then transfer them to the canvas into abstract or figurative form. I never decide what I paint. The paint decides and choses me to come into existence through my brush. I don’t argue, nor do I get in the way of art. I just feel grateful to be chosen and transfer the energy of the universe onto the canvas. When I connect to art, I disconnect from everything else. I am in a space where there is just me and the energy of creation. I feel it going through me like water. Sometimes it’s a tsunami and sometimes it’s just a trickle, but it’s always there, unyielding, as strong as the force of life. I open the door to my soul and step into a state of flow that makes me feel larger than life and in sync with source. It is my greatest joy to experience the ecstasy of painting and writing and I just feel so accomplished when I can share this ecstasy with others, with those who gave themselves time to sit face to face with my work and let its pure emotion reach them. And I promise you, this is not about art. It is about the ecstasy of painting, the exploring of everyday magic, about seeking the light in the shadow and mystical energies running free. It is taking a leap of faith into the unknown of yourself. People always ask me what my paintings mean, but it’s not about that. Nothing I can put into words can describe what you might feel when looking at it. I never assign any of my paintings a meaning, because only the meaning belongs to me, but once it left my brush, the painting is no longer mine. I own the process of painting it, but not the result of it. Only when the viewer has formed a personal relationship with the canvas, based on a moment of pure awe and of connection beyond this world, can a meaning be assigned to one particular painting. My art is about the joy and pain you can encounter at every heartbeat. It is about embracing your shadow and shining your light. It is about finding a path towards the real, raw you.