The primary concerns of my art practices are to examine the patterns, structures and cycles that form both the natural world and the subjective realities we construct in our minds. My artworks are informed by contemporary conversations in the fields of psychology, mythology, cosmology, physics and philosophy that attempt to grasp at the true nature of reality and how we as humans conduct ourselves within it. My art utilizes a variety of visual languages and creative modes of production that merge representational figurative imagery with abstract principles of picture making. Classical aesthetics and quasi-religious iconographic imagery are contorted and reimagined through a contemporary lens. Many of my artworks attempt to elicit from the viewer the feeling of letting go and surrendering to the unknown, with figures levitating upwards in rapturous scenes of exaltation. Other works represent more paradoxical perspectives on reality through ambiguous narratives populated by bizarre grotesque entities that look as though they might manifest from a hypnagogic hallucination or an episode of sleep paralysis, experiences that have had powerful impacts on my imagination.
My exploration of these concepts begins with an idiosyncratic synthesis of arabesque gestural calligraphy, automatic drawing and collage technique, which create the initial frameworks for my finished paintings. These processes involve a high degree of chance and allow intangible, unanticipated forms and narrative suggestions to arise that cannot be consciously articulated, yet can be stumbled upon through an active engagement with materials and imagery. These processes permit me to operate in a creative mode that balances between intention and intuition. The formal approaches I utilize mirror my conceptual investigations of the nature of reality, where so much of life seems to rely on chance and serendipity.
Education:
University of California at Santa Cruz 2009
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Awards: Dean’s Honors, Winter 2009
Modesto Junior College 2007
Associate Degree
Awards: Dean’s List, Winter 2006, Spring 2007
Solo Exhibitions:
2019 Peaks and Oblivions. Tri-Chromatic Gallery. Modesto, CA
2016 Arches, Pillars, Patterns and Portals. Modesto Junior College Art Gallery, Modesto, CA
2013 Selected Works. Praxis Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Group Exhibitions:
2019 Tribe 13, Android Jones, Shpongle. Live Painting and Art Exhibit. The Midway. San Francisco, CA.
2019 Mythic. Fe Gallery Sacramento, CA
2019 Best in Show for “Levitation Chamber” Central California Arts Showcase, Carnegie Arts Center, Turlock, CA
2018 Alex and Alison Grey and Friends: Live Painting and Art Exhibition: The Midway, San Francisco, CA
2017 Central California Arts Showcase, Joint Exhibition: Mistlin Gallery, Modesto, CA and Carnegie Arts Center, Turlock, CA
2014 Central California Arts Showcase, Joint Exhibition: Mistlin Gallery, Modesto, CA and Carnegie Arts Center, Turlock, CA
2014 60’s Retrospective, Mistlin Gallery, Modesto, CA
Awards:
2017 Award of Excellence. Central California Arts Showcase, Joint Exhibition: Mistlin Gallery, Modesto, CA and Carnegie Arts Center, Turlock, CA
2016 Warner Award. Central California Arts Showcase, Joint Exhibition: Mistlin Gallery, Modesto, CA and Carnegie Arts Center, Turlock, CA