"Warrior" 2004, Oil on Canvas, 48x60"
I
started drawing when I was four years old. It has been a part of my life
since I watched my father paint book cover illustrations and tried to
emulate his work. Throughout childhood and high school, drawing became
my refuge. At the Rhode Island School of Design, I had the privilege of
learning along side some of the most talented students and being taught
by some of the demanding professors in the country. It was during this
time that I discovered oil paint and began to wrestle with it in
earnest.I learned quickly and painfully that oil paint is not a medium
to be taken lightly.
The
rest has been a twenty year-plus battle with the fundamental issues of
painting. And I am not just referring to light, form, color, tone, and
space. The hardest issues are the life issues. How does one keep
painting when bills need to be paid? How does one introduce toxic
solvents and paints into a domestic environment? How does one maintain
their own creative voice in a money-driven society? I have set studios
on tiny balconies in Los Angeles, and in airplane hangar-sized
warehouses in Queens, New York. It is a question of adaptability. The
artist must constantly adapt to an unwelcoming environment and resist
the urge to conform.