The New York school of abstract expressionists, including Jackson Pollock, Willem deKooning, Hans Hoffman, and Robert Motherwell, have influenced my artwork, especially with my paintings.  I am drawn to the impulsivity and randomness of abstract expressionist works and creating a wide range of interpretations of the final product.  Instead of having one idea that is very prominent, there can be twenty ideas combined into one single painting.   

I am very “in the moment” when making art, generally entering the studio without a fixed idea as to what I am going to create; trusting the process itself.  My professor asked me once,  “so, what are you going to paint today” and I replied, “I don’t know I haven’t started painting yet”. Having a huge blank canvas in front of me is the most exhilarating moment for me because there are endless possibilities and no wrong way to start it.  The first initial brushstroke to a blank canvas opens up the world as I see it.  Sometimes I have no idea why I make certain decisions while painting; it is like my hand is just freely dancing on the canvas without a worry or failure in mind.   

Music is also very important to my art making process; depending on the song that is playing while painting can make a huge difference as to what kinds of marks that I make on the canvas.  Some of my recent artworks have had a Jazz quality to them, incorporating vibrant colors mixed with black gestural marks resembling paintings of Henri Matisse’s Jazz series and Wassily Kandinsky.  Playing music is the final step to making me totally absorbed and one with my paintings severing ties to the world beyond my studio.

Street art has also had a significant influence with my artwork, exploring mixed mediums and painting on found objects has always intrigued me.  Jean Michel Basquiat is my idol; I think his process and wild imagery encourages me to take my art a step above what I believe is possible.  I am a risk taker; I am not afraid to spend three days on a painting and the fourth day take an eight inch brush, dip it in white, and paint over half of the painting.  Being bold and taking risks are important to me because if you don’t take that chance you will never know how great you could have been.