Three Paintings in Upcoming Show at Art Mozaik

I am honored to have three of my paintings showcased in the upcoming show “Senses” at Art Mozaik Fine Art Gallery in Santa Fe. “Harvest Moon”, “First Steps” and “Sower of Seeds” will all be on displace at the reception on Friday November 1st from 5pm-7pm and will stay up throughout the month. If you are in the area please stop by the opening reception and enjoy some beautiful artworks!

 
 

Two International Salon Competition Semi-Finalists!

I am absolutely honored to say that both my paintings “Choosing Light” and “Sanctuary” were both selected as semi-finalists in the 17th International ARC Salon Competition! This salon received over 5000 entries from 87 countries and I am honored to have my paintings on this list.

I worked so so hard on these two paintings so it feels really great for them to get recognized in this way. The Finalists will be posted on November 20th!

Leading the revival of realism in the visual arts, the Art Renewal Center non-profit, educational foundation, hosts the largest online museum dedicated to representational art and includes works by the old masters, 19th century, and 21st Century Artists as well as articles, letters and other online resources.

The ARC also runs the ARC Salon Competition, which is the largest and most prestigious competition in the world for realist artists painting, sculpting and drawing today with eleven categories and thousands of works competing, culminating in a live exhibition of many of the winning works.

My Thoughts on Social Media and Artistic Nudity

I want to say something regarding my recent painting “Same Breath” and how instagram decided to react to my first post of it.

 
 

Even though I was warned by other artists who paint nude figures regularly I can’t help but be disappointed in instagram’s immediate penalization of my content. Luckily my post wasn’t removed but they flagged it and removed several posts on my story in addition to making me ineligible for monetization for several weeks. And since posting this painting several more times each time was met with another slap on the wrist. All of this for a piece of artwork that showcases the dynamic beautify of the human form. Unfortunately I have shied away from making paintings like this for years in fear of these exact consequences. Even though I have loved illustrating the nude figure ever since my first figure drawing classes in college, I have held back in my professional work because I knew that social media can be strict with their community guidlines. I find it most frustrating that meta chose to flag my post for “sexual content” when (I want to be loud and clear about this) there is nothing inherently sexual about the human form, nude or otherwise. Sexualization is something imposed on the nude body by an external viewer who cannot appreciate its innate beauty and strength so they result to objectification. The painting I posted came from the depths of my soul, it was raw, emotional, and sensitive but in no way sexually driven in any way. I you read the description you will know it is about the transition of a soul from one form to another. And I hate to play the blame game but I have seen some unspeakably offensive posts on this platform relating to sex, violence, racism and sexism that were not only allowed to stay up but were actually amplified by the algorithm to be seen by more and more people.

 
 

If I’m being honest this is an issue that is much broader than instagram. Our culture has developed to a point that we are so afraid of the human form that it is specifically hidden from sight and ONLY to be seen in a sexual context. So it’s no wonder that this is how our minds work. Just for some personal context, when I took live model drawing classes in college, me and all of the students learned very quickly that not only does nudity not equate to sex but it also showcases the striking uniqueness and universality of all our bodies. When you as a student sit at your drawing horse for hours upon hours thoughtfully observing and replicating the incredible curves, angles and textures of the human form you gain a deep appreciation for the human body as a work of art and not something to be sexualized in every context. When our instructor found people to model for our classes he made sure to find a variety of people of all shapes, sizes and ages and through this exposure we all learned to find beauty in all of these forms.

Sorry if I am rambling but this feedback from instagram got my mind thinking about these ideas and I wanted to vocalize them. Art is so important to me and I feel like it can benefit so many people if we are ready to engage in it. And I specifically think that artwork involving nudity can have a powerful role in reshaping our societies skewed views of sexuality, hopefully creating a renewed appreciate and respect for the bodies we all inhabit.


I’m sure that meta will most definitely NOT fix their system but I just wanted to vent my thoughts to you all and remind you that we all move about this world in a precious vessel. This body that we inhabit deserves to be respected and appreciated as a work of art.

The Wait is Over! Two Brand New Terra Human Paintings!

Hello, I hope you are doing well! I'm really excited to share two brand new Terra Human Paintings with you today! As some of you may know I was not able to finish these paintings in time for the Contemporary Figuration show at Abend Gallery due to a muscle spasm in my neck. So after many many hours of painting I finally finished these two pieces and am so excited to share them with you. For clarity these paintings are available DIRECTLY from me since they were never exhibited at the gallery.

 
 

If you have the time please read my descriptions for the paintings as well, I dedicate a lot of time and energy into writing thoughtful descriptions for every painting I make and these are certainly no exception.  I really hope that these paintings encourage introspection and a renewed sense of empathy. Please reach out to me if you want to know more about these paintings (ie. additional photos or videos). They can be purchased directly from my website by using the buttons below the photos. Payment plans are available upon request so don't hesitate to contact me if that is something you are interested in.

 
 

"Same Breath"  |  12"x12" Framed  |  *SOLD*

Painting Description
After wandering the harsh and unforgiving mountains for longer than he could remember he realized that he had forgotten what he was searching for. He was desperately in need of something but could never find it and couldn’t even name it. Not knowing what to do or where to go he stoped in his tracks, kneeled down and reached down into the earth that he had been traversing on top of for all of his life. Feeling something soft among the dirt and roots he used all of this strength to pull a human form from the earth that housed it for so long. He held her in this exact spot for years looking at her in awe and feeling at peace, as if he finally understood something better than he understood himself. And the longer he held her the more he wished to see the world as she might see it.
Slowly every breath he exhaled moved a part of his soul into her. Until he no longer had the strength to hold her but as he took his last breath she took her first and she was able to hold him as his warmth departed. Saying goodbye she slowly lowered him to rest in the mountains as the tress and plants lovingly embraced his presence. In a new form but with the same breath she was now free to walk this earth truly at peace, no longer searching.

 
 

"Harvest Moon"  |  12"x16" Framed  |  $2500

Painting Description
In times of true despair we are the most open to changing our ways. When our hearts are finally empty and our minds exhausted we finally look outside of ourselves to do the one thing we swore we would never do, ask for help. Less than halfway up the mountain we collapse, we lay down our pride and stop ignoring the pain that has plagued us for so much of the journey. With tears falling from our eyes we give in to all that has overwhelmed us, finally acknowledging the hurt and letting it envelope us.
After some time of gazing at the moon for comfort we finally look around to see many others who are illuminated by the moonlight as well, all making the same journey up the mountain. But they all look down as they trudge their way up with the same pains and despair weighing them down. All but one who notices us sitting in the cold dirt and offers an open hand but when we are too exhausted to take it so they decide to sit down with us, staring at the moon and enjoying the comfort of another.

My Interview with Sophie Skelton from Behind the Artist

Hello Friends, I recently was contacted by a very kind art enthusiast/blogger from the UK named Sophie Skelton who wanted to feature me on her website. She has a lovely website that is dedicated to art history and finding out the stories behind a variety of contemporary the artists. Use the button below to visit her website and read the full interview. I did my best to give thoughtful and educational answers so I hope you enjoy!

Lastly I wanted to mention that she also wanted to do a podcast interview in August so please keep an eye out for that as well!

"Choosing Light" Limited Edition Prints are Finally Here!

Thank you for taking the time to read this exciting announcement! I am officially launching limited edition prints of my painting "Choosing Light". I feel so fortunate that this piece had such a loving reception on social media resulting in it being sold to a new collector in Dubai. So I wanted to release some prints of it so that everyone can their own special copy of this unique painting. 

Since these are limited edition I will only be printing a total of 200 copies of this painting and after that the edition will be over. But here is my favorite part! Each copy is a canvas print so it has the beautiful canvas texture and additionally is ready to hang right out of the box! I spent a lot of time ordering and reviewing several different test prints to find just the right look for this piece and when I took the canvas version out of the box I knew this was the right look!
IMPORTANT: This is a limited time drop! These prints will be available to order starting today Wednesday May 8th until Sunday May 12th.
More details below

Each print is priced at $100
Each print is 18"x24" 
Printed on canvas
Comes with a hand signed Certificate of Authenticity
200 Prints will be created in total

Final Note: The First 5 orders will receive certificates with a brief paragraph of my hand written thoughts on the painting.

My Interview with Raindrop Incorporated

Hello! I just wanted to share with you all my most recent podcast interview with Deb and Sara from Raindrop Incorporated. This episode is a part of their Inspired Artist series and we delve into my personal background as well as what it means to work as a full time artist. I hope you enjoy this excellent conversation we had and I really hope it can help any artists who are looking to do their art full time someday.

"Choosing Light" Has Been Sold!

I am just so proud to say that thanks to a recent viral video on my instagram, my painting “Choosing Light” has been sold! I’m so appreciative of everyone who engaged with and comment on this video helping it reach over half a million people! This engagement helped my painting find the right person who was just over the moon with excitement to buy it.

This is such a personal painting for me and I really cannot tell you how much it means to me that so many people connected with it and that one person resonated with it so much that they needed to buy it as soon as possible! This painting is about embracing my intense empathy towards others even when it sometimes hurts and so so many people related to what I said and took my message to heart. I received so many comments and messages from people telling me that seeing this painting and reading my message actually brought them to tears. This was genuinely an out of body experience and I’m really excited for the buyer in Dubai.

I’m a little busy with paintings for a show in April at the moment, but I’m hoping to do a limited edition print release of this paintings to celebrate the sale! I’m thinking of doing a pre-order for these prints so I can know exactly how many to print. So please keep an eye out here on my website as well as on my socials!

Delivery of my Three Month Long Commission

I’m so happy to let you all know that I was finally able to deliver my three month long commission to its new owner in Denver two weekends ago. This was such an awesome experience filled with an official painting reveal, sit down interview and hanging of the piece. I couldn't have asked for a better reception for me and the painting. Be sure to check out the photos below and I'm sure I will be able to share videos from the interview with you soon!

I think it’s safe to say I have NEVER had a reception like this before, Katy and I felt so welcomed by Jason, his family, his camera person and of course his dogs 
 I’m really looking forward to future projects with Jason and I am so honored that he approached me with this meaningful project several months ago.

 
 

In this interview Jason and I were able to talk about why he first approached me creating this unique painting. He talked at the extensive research that he conducted to find the perfect artist to fulfill his vision. He also mentioned that seeing my painting “Through the Leaves” fully convinced him that I would be right for the job.

I was able to talk about what intrigued me about this and why I decided to take it on. Mentioning that I really resonated with the meaning behind the painting he wanted to create and how I love creating works that are infused with symbolism and stories.

 
 

Two Paintings Accepted to EXUBERANCE in Santa Fe

Hello! I’m very excited to share that two of my original paintings have been accepted to the juried show EXUBERANCE at Art Mozaik Fine Art Gallery in Santa Fe!

Please join me and the Santa Fe art community at Art Mozaik for the opening reception this Friday January 5th 2024 from 4 to 7pm with complimentary snacks and beverages. This show will feature my two paintings “Choosing Light” and “Imprint” along with many other incredible works of art from a variety of artists.

Recent Sales from the Abend Holiday Show

Hey there! I’m very happy to say that two out of my three new paintings for the Holiday Miniatures Show at Abend Gallery have been sold! I spent countless hours on all three of these paintings so it is hugely rewarding to see that two of them are going a home where they will be enjoyed by a collector. I’m really happy to see so many paintings being sold through this show and look forward to doing another show with Abend in April.

My final new painting that is available from the show is “Witness to the Unknown”. Use the button below to view it in the gallery shop.

Three New Paintings for the Holiday Miniatures Show

Hello All! Thank you for your patience while I completed these new paintings. I’m very excited to share three brand new pieces with you that I’ve created for the 33rd Annual Holiday Miniatures Show at Abend Gallery! I worked on these paintings for several months and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Two out of the three pieces have already been sold so be sure to use the link below to see my available gallery paintings.

"Among the Stars"  |  8"x10"  Framed  |  Sold

If I am nothing but a tiny ripple in a vast ocean, a speck of light in an infinite sky of stars, how do I matter? And if my time on this pale blue dot is only a microscopic blip on the timeline of its existence, why should I live with purpose?

As she contemplated these thoughts the universe asked her to lay her head down. And as she did this she was shown the people that she loved and how her existence altered them, microscopically shifting their life path just by being herself and loving with her full heart. And then she saw how her influence in that person altered another person. And then her impact on that person influenced another. She was shown the spread of her impact again and again, a light that spread further than she could ever imagine, until it finally stopped and her presence in the world was not longer. Even though her impact was great eventually all memory of her would fade and her mark will eventually disappear.

The universe told her even though her wave would eventually return to the ocean as if it had never existed in the first place, it did exist in perfect beauty in the exact right moment and it will find its resting place back in the collective of the universe.

"Hunter's Gaze"  |  8"x10"  Framed  |  Sold

One of my favorite animals while growing up was the barn owl. I found their look and demeanor to be so unique and thought-provoking and I really loved reading about these creatures and discovering what made them unique. I especially enjoyed drawing them and trying to render their unique faces. And I always found their eyes to be incredibly mesmerizing and attention grabbing. These incredibly dark eyes hold so much expression and intensity which I hope that I captured in this piece. It gave me a lot of joy to capture this graceful creature in a painting.

"Witness to the Unknown"  |  8"x10"  Framed  |  $1500

Gazing up at the night sky in a time long before our own. We begin to see subtle green lights moving across the impossibly dark sky. The longer we look the more the colors seem to intensify and brighten as they form into amazingly long curtains reaching up to the heavens. In this time before scientific explanation this incomprehensible phenomenon ignites a spark of wonder in our hearts. A feeling of genuine humility while witnessing the absolute beauty of the planet that we live on.
And because we are human we choose to create beautiful stories and mythologies to explain this unimaginable wonder. Passing along these tales as a way to connect with one another and to find a semblance of understanding in vast unknown.