The author finds inspiration in observing everyday moments and experiences in the present. They are constantly aware of their surroundings to find inspiration in small details like signs, trees, or negative space. The constant stream of visual stimuli in modern life can also spark ideas. The author considers this type of observation the foundation of their creative process. Their works either directly reflect these inspirations or are indirectly influenced by them. The author is open to new ideas and materials, which leads their body of work to be eclectic and reflect the diversity of living experiences. Finished pieces then take on a life of their own as they may inspire others in turn, completing the creative cycle.

1. ON INSPIRATION
I’ve always been inspired by the here and now. It comes from a deep rooted
appreciation for grasping the “moment” and how that moment presents an inspirational
opportunity. Everything I’m doing, seeing, feeling, thinking or learning is the foundation
of what inspires me to create. As such, I am never without paper and pencil and always
make an effort to be keenly aware of my surroundings and circumstances.
My inspirational process often requires the ability to apply a filter and purposely ingest
the world in small calculated doses; the rusted corner of a sign, the fissuring of a
lightning strike, or negative space in a singular tree branch. Paradoxically, the constant
deluge of visual stimuli that is life in the “information age” can also be useful in the
evolution of an inspiration. Either way, I consider this kind of vision the benchmark for
my creative process and the resulting works (sometimes a result of the inspiration
verbatim, and sometimes not), as simply and externalized expression of that vision.
However tritely considered, it’s been said a billion times how art imitates life and vice
versa. From my perspective, life, like art, can seem as diverse as the human genome.
Further, I am always amazed by the experiences that create a moment of inspiration. I
think, in this way, my body of work has always been so eclectic. It simply seems a
disservice to any inspirational moment to say “no, that doesn’t fit my style” or “I have no
idea how I am going to resolve this.” Because of this, I find myself either moving
forward with liberated confidence or inching one step forward and two steps back,
without the benefit of hindsight.
In the end, my work reflects the eclecticism that is the act of living; a summation of
moments and the literal act of experiencing. From appreciating a study of the familiar
and comfortable, to encapsulating a fleeting thought when life is at its most turbulent, I
never deny the challenge that calls for the experimentalism of new materials and ways
of thinking. These inspirations in the studio, often appropriated with the detritus of a
consumer world, is how my creative process unfolds. Works take on a life; a created
reality of what is, and a reciprocation of the moment(s) between artist and medium(s).
Eventually, the successive accumulation of these translated moments will produce a
completed work, and I so much enjoy the brief moment of intimacy it affords me.
And with a completed piece in hand (along with a little faith), I await the remarkable to
happen. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn’t. Either way, from what was once
a singularly inspired, insular moment – a public life is always awaiting; a far reaching life
that the studio can no longer sustain. By the same way it first captivated me, or for an
entirely different reason, a finished work becomes someone else’s “moment,” someone
else’s inspiration, someone else’s life. An art life. It is in this way, the creative process
comes full circle and within that moment, sometimes even inspiration anew.