A DIFFERENT KIND OF ART
Different from the norm, perhaps, my statement is less about my artistic process and more about my journey: how I arrived at the place I am today and my influences along the way. It reflects my belief in the importance of remembering that we were guided by so many people and without their help we would not be the artists we are today.
I was blessed to have the creative spirit in me as far back as I can remember. I was always writing poems or short stories. I was introduced to the visual arts at the age of twelve when I went into the public school system. Before that I had been in parochial schools, where art was not the priority;
I then went on to public high school, where art was actually offered as a major. I was fortunate to meet a dynamic art teacher named Lamont Westmoreland, who believed that students should be exposed to all aspects of art, not just classical art. To that end, Mr. Westmoreland took us to local galleries and showed us what was really happening on the contemporary scene, not just what was published in books; he also showed us films that highlighted artists’ different perspectives. Perhaps most importantly for me, he introduced us to a group of artists called “surrealists.” Lamont Westmoreland made the visual arts feel both alive and relevant, which had a profound effect on my life.
Around that time I began to explore the concept of my inner workings. I tried to connect my soul with my intellect and my intellect with my soul, letting that union guide my artistic expressions without having to “think” them out—a process very similar to creating automatic art images. One could say that the beings that populate my work are born organically there, at the juncture of soul and intellect. Each creation is its own little universe, each with its own meaning that stems from deep in the collective unconscious. This is the direction that I still take to this day; I may use different mediums, but the work’s intent is the same.
Other influences in my art run the gambit from prehistoric to the present. It's the life of an art explorer for me. An artist or period of art will be mentioned which will spark my interest. I then will investigate there influences. This cycle keeps folding in on it's self forever. This creative discovery that has been actualized into the physical world is one of the great joys in my life.