I am an artist based in Franklin, IN. I work primarily in acrylics and oils on canvas and Masonite board. I also do 3-D art with reclaimed and repurposed materials. After more than twenty years in the service and four tours in the Middle East, I was finally able to embrace my other passion, painting and doing 3-D art. For me, painting is a kind of therapy, a way of being at peace with myself. It brings me happiness and I am able to connect with the deepest realms of my imagination. I like creating pieces that engage and challenge people’s minds. My art is inspired by things that I have lived and heard, dreams, and by random conversations with friends and family. Most of my work is humorous and stress-free, and I love it when I see a smile in a person’s face when they see my art.
I often employ bold colors to paints animals in a surrealist manner. My animals are always going somewhere, they are interested in exploring what is beyond their natural environments and ready to begin a new journey, or about to disrupt the established order of what people perceive an animal should do. Some animals are tourists, others are explorers, and sometimes they just try to raise awareness about some facts. In my paintings, I usually reflect on the animals’ autonomy and imagination while also introducing a sense of humor in a respectful way to all living creatures. Recently, I have started to paint people’s pets on a nest. In these commissions, I portray the animals’ attitude and personality as well as the fantasies and dreams of their human parents.
I also love traveling. I have traveled extensively across South America. I have expressed some of those trips in my photography.