In Preparation for the Museum

First things first: I made an artbook. Second things second: I launched a Kickstarter campaign.

Last year, I was approached by the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas to curate a two-person show with my mentor and dear friend, Jerome Witkin. I studied under Jerome while attending Syracuse University and have long admired his work. I consider it the greatest honor of my life to show work alongside my favorite living partner. To prepare for this amazing opportunity, I am scaling the production to create the most intricate and challenging paintings of my career.

I have created a Kickstarter campaign to raise $12,000 to focus my time and efforts on my studio. All funds raised from this campaign will be allocated explicitly for studio and art budgets through October 2022. This includes basic art supplies, canvas, lumber for stretchers, studio assistance, photography services, and models to pose for my figurative work.

This is where the artbook comes in. I wanted to reward my backers with a memento that is illustrative of the decade in artmaking that has led me to this moment in my career. This limited-edition print of 150 includes my favorite abstract and figurative works, some dating back to my days at Syracuse University, all the way up to my most recent statuary series that debuted in the Techne show. An artbook is something I have always wanted to make. I am excited to be able to share it now and to turn its creation into a catalyst for more art.

Additional tiers in the campaign are available, including high-quality prints of works included in the book, and original drawings from my sketchbook that give a glimpse into the creative process behind my paintings. A limited number of backers will receive a commissioned painting with one figure of their choice.

I want to take full advantage of this moment to showcase my work in front of the largest audience of my career. It brings me joy to know that this campaign is an opportunity to reach my goal and create portraits and mementos for people that believe in my vision. The show with Jerome feels like a major turning point in my career, and I want to match the scale of my process with that of my ambitions.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions about the campaign and its rewards. I am open to discussion about the commission painting and its conception.

Gold Digger

The motivation for creating works of art and the conditions for its arrival is something I have always found fascinating. What draws our attention can be a curious thing: why are we interested in some things and not others? This question becomes even more obtuse in relation to the process of art making.

Creating a new painting can be overwhelming. Just as one prepares a novel, a painter must prepare an allegorical picture. One mustn't rush into these things. Immersing myself in historical research and studying images that might help me spark narratives is at the forefront of my practice.  

The subject matter of my allegorical works relies on this research. In these paintings, a narrative is created through character, set and setting. The various totems presented in the paintings change meaning and create dialogue through their juxtaposition.

My education has taught me to focus on researching aesthetics and modes of painting. The narrative allegory created in the content of the painting must be supported by the way in which it is painted. The way in which things are painted and the handling of the medium is often overlooked in favor of the subject matter, but more often than not, the way in which it is painted enhances the emotional climate of the painting. 

Sometimes, my pictures begin with a search for aesthetics. For example, the quality of pictures that I use as references might have a unique position of the figures in space. The aesthetics of the image seeds the composition and begins the narrative. I spend a considerable amount of time mining these images from various sources including books and archives, including my own photographs. 

Oftentimes I find an image striking enough to make it the underpinning of the painting. This might appear counterintuitive considering the amount of research that can precede a painting, but there are certain images such as a photograph of a foreign land or a candid photo that can inform my process. When the rest of the painting is conceived and assembled, it creates new layers of meaning that can surprise even me.

What's in a Blog?

I have created this page to highlight my artistic practices and inspirations, and to bring order to my thoughts so I can better articulate my intentions and their results. I will share the developments in my studio and new works, and the research that goes into creating a painting or series. Writing will help to catalog my process and highlight aspects of my life and findings that are revealed through my art. In the process, I hope to better understand my own intentions and to fully explore the philosophies that simmer in the subconscious and are borne onto my canvas. This is meant to complement my art process and enrich the technical and thematic narratives. 

In that lovely paradox that only emboldens an artist, these writings are also meant to bring a sort of levity and gravity to my work. Much of my work deals with heady topics that can be challenging despite the immediate qualities of the painting. 

Delusion of Reprieve has a classical immediacy and appealing grandeur that is confronted by the centering of Hermann Göring, a Nazi military leader and convicted war criminal.

Delusion of Reprieve has a classical immediacy and appealing grandeur that is confronted by the centering of Hermann Göring, a Nazi military leader and convicted war criminal.

Explaining the reasons behind my choices is a conscious effort to bridge the distance between audience and art while highlighting the research and intertwining influences I’ve cultivated as an artist and educator. If my art can be seen as an attempt to create a new dialogue about modes of art history and technique through a disruption of misunderstood (or worse, outdated) conventions, then my writings are an extension of that philosophy: demystify the pretensions around “difficult” art while underscoring its tapestry of inspirations.