All Smiles Print

Through my Urban Abstracts, I've been inspired to revisit Salvador Dali, the legendary surrealist painter, whose paintings force you to slow down and look deeply, yet never see the same thing twice. If you study Dali's paintings, you will discover how his chosen elements appear or recede depending on your frame of mind. It's like contemplating a more interesting Rorschach test. My hope is viewers will create their own stories as they view each of my images. With Urban Abstracts I have tried to bring to life the strange juxtapositions randomly occurring in the street setting. Perhaps my biggest joy comes from permanently capturing the temporary nature of these scenes. The imagery is constantly evolving, changing, shifting and often completely disappearing as the effects of time, weather, pollution and diverse nature of the materials succumb to the environment. There are several reasons why I have been committed to this project for so long. Graffiti is about grabbing interest. On the street, there's an insane amount of competition for attention, so graffiti artists fight hard for our eyes, utilizing tried and true themes, like depictions of sex, violence, humor, political messaging and pop-cultural commentary to express themselves. Ever ingenious and forward thinking, current artists have begun incorporating QR codes into their designs enticing viewers to learn more about them and their agendas with a click of a smartphone.