Welcome to AllArtWorks Featured Artist Series!
1. What other profession is similar to being an artist and why?
There are many examples of crossover professions, but, in general, I think being an author might be the closest to being a studio artist. Both spend most of their time creating in isolation and they engage with the public through a medium, not necessarily face-to-face.
2. What’s the nicest thing you can remember someone said about your work, or an individual piece?
In my first group exhibition with M David & Co in Bushwick, there was a gentleman who could not take his eyes off of my painting. When I approached him, he explained that he couldn’t put his finger on it, but he was moved by the painting. He went on to explain that there was something extremely deep and genuine about the piece — something he could relate to.
3. What’s one thing you’d like everyone to know about you as an artist?
I was trained for several years as a figurative artist. I would study for countless hours from the model and the landscape, learning all the “rules” concerning composition and color. At a certain point, I decided that the image was not enough. I wanted to find a way to capture a feeling or idea without the constraints of an image-based reality. I used all of my training and knowledge and began to trust my hand, memory, and instinct. This led me to where I am today.
4. What was the last piece of art that you saw that blew you away?
I’ll never forget arriving in Amsterdam from Paris the day Paris was attacked in 2016. I remember going to the museum the following morning and stumbling upon Rembrandt’s “The Jewish Bride”. There is a moment in that painting where the husband’s hand is lying ever so gently on his wife’s breast. I saw all of humanity through that moment and was immediately moved to tears.
5. What’s something you haven’t done but you want to do in art/painting?
I want to make a mural-sized painting, maybe 20 feet or so.
I always enjoyed Delacroix for his expressive and loose brushwork, but as I have matured, my appreciation for Ingres has grown. Ingres' drafting is impeccable. He has a solid sense of form. Also, his paint handling, although seemingly tight at first glance, is super lush and skilled. So my answer is Ingres.
*The reason we ask about Delacroix and Ingres is because they were contemporaries with wildly different styles!
