Artists Statment
As an unfocused teenager I began doodling in class. Usually it was of anything not on the blackboard and as I got better at it I began to draw with some intent and true interest. With some encouragement from my parents and piers I quickly became hooked on art.
After obtaining a studio art degree and history minor in college art took a backseat to making a living and was just an occasional hobby until four years ago when a piece of good fortune put me at my easel again. I now find myself very fortunate to be a part of the local art community here in Central Virginia and very grateful for the opportunity to be able to post recent works.
I have tried a variety of mediums and I find myself at home with oil paints. I am creative by nature and am typically in the midst of several artistic and functional home projects at any one time. And as much as enjoy a good ‘do it yourself’ or home repair I find peace and contentment at my easel. I like the smell, the feel, the frustration and the success of creating something of nothing. It’s cathartic and clarifying for my mind.
I consider all of my work to be practice and the best work to be practice that teaches something new or reveals a view or approach I had not considered before. This “practice” continues indefinitely and never ends until I decide I can learn no more for a piece or find I am just piddling with details. You can work a piece forever if one wish but really that is just procrastination of the inevitable “letting go” that an artist must do. You have to decide for whatever reason when a piece is complete and that is a decision very personal to each artist.
Art provides a balance for my life and a wonderful counterpoint to my career as a systems engineer. Working in Charlottesville and then returning to the peace of the country is also a balance I am fortunate to have. The art community in central Virginia is thriving and exciting and I am grateful to be a part of it.
After obtaining a studio art degree and history minor in college art took a backseat to making a living and was just an occasional hobby until four years ago when a piece of good fortune put me at my easel again. I now find myself very fortunate to be a part of the local art community here in Central Virginia and very grateful for the opportunity to be able to post recent works.
I have tried a variety of mediums and I find myself at home with oil paints. I am creative by nature and am typically in the midst of several artistic and functional home projects at any one time. And as much as enjoy a good ‘do it yourself’ or home repair I find peace and contentment at my easel. I like the smell, the feel, the frustration and the success of creating something of nothing. It’s cathartic and clarifying for my mind.
I consider all of my work to be practice and the best work to be practice that teaches something new or reveals a view or approach I had not considered before. This “practice” continues indefinitely and never ends until I decide I can learn no more for a piece or find I am just piddling with details. You can work a piece forever if one wish but really that is just procrastination of the inevitable “letting go” that an artist must do. You have to decide for whatever reason when a piece is complete and that is a decision very personal to each artist.
Art provides a balance for my life and a wonderful counterpoint to my career as a systems engineer. Working in Charlottesville and then returning to the peace of the country is also a balance I am fortunate to have. The art community in central Virginia is thriving and exciting and I am grateful to be a part of it.
