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.

Terra Human | Six New Paintings!

Hi all! In case you missed it, I’ve compiled all of my new paintings from my solo show with Abend Gallery right here in this blog post! I worked INCREDIBLY hard on this show and it would mean the world to me if you checked out all of these paintings either here or on the Abend website. These six paintings took over six months to produce and each one has a special place in my heart. If you click on the full image of each painting you can view that piece on the Abend website and purchase it if you wish. Also prints of all of these paintings are available directly from me. All you have to do is click the button below to view them in my shop!

One Hundred Years

This painting explores a single moment expanded over a century . This woman has searched far and wide to find the perfect natural setting for her to sit and search for answers to her deepest questions. In her first few years sitting in this exact spot, she learns about herself, thinking about her uniqueness as an individual and coping with and later resolving past traumas that she let define her for so many years. 

While sitting a little longer, she is able to open her mind beyond herself, recognizing the people that she has hurt and the people she has loved, forgiving herself for past mistakes and accepting who she is at her core. After this step she begins to feel every rock and every blade of grass that surrounds her as they begin to grow up her form and embrace her stillness. After several more years of sitting she begins to feel the presences of every single life form around her. Every insect, bird, mouse and rabbit emits a pulse of life that gives her energy and a sense of belonging. After many more years, the concept of time begins to lose its meaning and the straight line from beginning to end starts to connect end to end forming a circle. After sitting for 100 years her past and future fade away and she finds the moment.

herself.Original Piece Size: 10”x15”

Medium: Oil on Panel (Framed)

Citadel

As she looks towards the setting sun, she thinks of the many people who tried to remove her from this exact spot. Their words trying to convince her that she was undeserving of love and too vulnerable to achieve her ambitions. She thinks of the many sacrifices that she made in order to forge her own path in a world trying to push her into mediocrity. No matter how much doubt manifested in her head and no matter how much negativity she received from others, she chose to hold her ground believing in her abilities. Poised and willing to grow, she learned from the cliffs around her to be confident and decisive while learning from the wild grass to flexible and move with the wind. As the ocean breeze blows through her hair and the waves embrace her feet, she reflects on the end of another day and she takes pride in trusting

herself.Original Piece Size: 14”x20”

Medium: Oil on Panel (Framed)

Coherence

This painting provides a visualization of the dichotomy between how we see ourselves and how others see us. When we do the intense work of learning about ourselves and consciously choose to grow we can feel lost and fragmented. Just like plants, as we grow our branches might split in order to reach in new facets of ourselves but they are still rooted to the same source. In our eyes this growing and splitting can make us feel fractured and undefined, lost because we are looking for purpose. But in the eyes of those who love us, they can step back and see us as a beautiful collage of intertwining and complex branches, growing towards the light of self-knowledge. When they look into our eyes they see all of our new and old facets defining us and guiding us to our true identity.

Original Piece Size: 12”x16”

Medium: Oil on Panel (Framed)

Light After Dark

This piece illustrates the morning after a prolonged darkness of pain and helplessness. When we hurt for the world we feel an unrelenting sadness to our core and it can be unbelievably difficult to see how the sun will rise again. There are so many aspects of this world that can make us feel powerless, to the point when we may even feel that have lost autonomy over our own bodies and minds. But on this particular morning, the sun rose with incredible power, casting warmth and light on all those people who try to do good in this world. The sunbeams illuminate these individuals showing their love and empathy and as you open your eyes you can see their drive to change our world for the better. Even knowing that the darkness will inevitably take over again, the intense light gives us a renewed sense of agency to fight for others and to fight for a better world.

Original Piece Size: 10”x15”

Medium: Oil on Panel (Framed)

Sower of Seeds

This painting shows a man in complete harmony with the nature that surrounds him. But this harmony hasn’t always existed, in the distant past this being thought  himself superior to the natural world and chose to exploit it for personal gain.  He completely lost his identity and his relationship with nature in the pursuit for power. Eventually this conflict reached a breaking point and the man was forced to confront his misdoings and reshape his relationship with the fading life that sounded him. This man spent years working to reverse his mistreatments to our world while closely studying how the smallest lifeforms live in cooperative harmony. Across these many years he has also done the work of self-reflection and personal growth to find a balance in his soul that gave him a renewed respect for nature. And once he found this balance and drastically changed his actions, the grass and trees around him began to feel safe to embrace him once again even while knowing his dark and selfish past. Even after all of the wrong he did, the most vulnerable life forms in our world embraced him with forgiveness and acceptance. This being who used to be a destroyer and conqueror has now became a true nurturer of life, serving as a protector of the planet that gave him everything he knows.

Original Piece Size: 10”x14”

Medium: Oil on Panel (Framed)

Protected Spirit

As we grow from children to adults our harsh and structured world does its best to conform us, placing us in categorized boxes of adulthood to keep our world organized. The first thing to be lost in this process is our childlike creativity that brings joy, wonder and excitement into our lives. The hands in this painting are protecting this pure and creative spirit even while the outside world attempts to extinguish it. This energetic spirit longs to dance, create with colors, sing songs and construct stories as a way to bring life into a sometimes colorless world. These hands are choosing to foster this spirit in order to encourage love and empathy in a world that needs it now more than ever.

Original Piece Size: 9”x12”

Medium: Oil on Panel (Framed)

Recent Throwback Thursday Posts!

Hi friends, my throwback Thursday posts have continued on my Facebook and Instagram pages so I thought I would share some of the recent ones! These posts have been a great opportunity to reflect back on old work and so how my theme, techniques and concepts have changed and developed over the years. Enjoy!

 
 

Painting for my girlfriend vs Painting for my wife! Haha I thought this weeks TBT would be a fun opportunity to look way back at a painting I made for my girlfriend of just 3months who would eventually become my wife. In the summer after my freshman year of college I was extremely motivated to impress the new girl in my life with a personalized original oil painting! I was clearly still learning but was determined to make her something special. I decided to paint a view of Pikes Peak (a defining feature of her hometown, Colorado Springs) with some colorful and fluffy clouds which we both love.
Flash forward a few years to 2016 when I spent several months painting this enormous 4'x6' landscape painting of Crested Butte in my basement bedroom/studio so that she could hang it in her new home as her very own painting.
Now in 2020 I'm incredibly fortunate to be married to that girl and have this piece hanging in our home as a symbol of our dedication to one another. Just like art, our relationships take patience, dedication and a little bit of luck.

 
 

Here is a great Throwback Thursday comparing the initial sketch to the final product of "As One"!
It's no secret that this piece is one of my best paintings to date and I owe its success as well as many others to proper planning. This comparison of the sketch to the final product makes me think of how much I've come to rely on proper planning and prep for a piece so that I can fully create the image that captures the proper concept and mood.
I never used to plan out paintings very much and while this works great for other artists, I started to find that the more accuracy I could capture in my image, the more it would blend reality with a dream. So as the years have progressed I've done a lot more sketching, photoshop rendering and gridding of my paintings so that I can capture the image properly and then choose to deviate from it if I want. •
Overall the most beneficial preparation tool for me has been doing small painting studies before a final piece. If you follow my process you will see that before each Terra Human piece I will typically do a painting study of the landscape as well as the figure before attempting the final piece. This planning process helps me work out colors, shapes and proportions so that the final product can be beautiful and thought provoking.
I hope you enjoyed my reflections on this sketch to final product comparison!

 
 

When I posted this hand and tree sketch in 2018, it had gotten the MOST social media engagement that I had ever had at the time. And this shocked me because it wasn't even a painting! But I think it shows the strength in simplicity and the significance of a strong concept coming to life.
The hand and tree oil painting was a great achievement for me in understanding lights and shadows influence colors. I'm really proud of the realism I was able to obtain in this painting and I think it really helps the concept shine through.

Hand Study Has Been Sold!

I just wanted to share that my recent hand study original painting has been sold!
I'm really appreciative of those who truly see the value in art even in stressful and uncertain times. Since we are in our homes more than ever right now, I think it's important to have something on your wall that can bring you peace.

 
 

Here is what the buyer sent me once they decided to purchase the piece. I loved their thoughts 🤗

✍️"One of the things I was randomly contemplating before I actually saw the hand piece was how our hands are essentially our second pairs of eyes. When we walk through a dark room it’s with our hands that we use to see and even to feel. So much of human experience is governed by our “sight” and our “feeling” so to have such a “simple” body part represent so much of our inner humanity really blew my mind."

 
 

My Newest Terra Human Painting!

NEW TERRA HUMAN PIECE! After working on this piece for a few weeks I'm happy to say it is finally done! I really enjoyed playing with textures in this one and problem solving the composition. Here are the details and the description...
Title : Hidden Away | 12"x16" Available for $650 Framed

Click here to view this piece in my shop!

 
 

This piece deals with our reactions to stress and anxiety. The person in this piece has a tendency to respond to stresses in his life by pulling away and blending into his surroundings. He hopes that if he is invisible his problems won’t find him and he can take comfort by retreating into himself. As he blends further and further into the environments that surrounds him he starts to loose sight of his priorities and the traits that define him as a person.
By retreating like this he cuts himself off from others and the ways in which they can help him. In his brain he sees asking for help as a weakness and thinks his problems will only hurt the people closest to him. While he is pulling away from others his gaze narrows and he sees less and less of the big picture and only focuses on himself and the fact that he is stuck.
There are not right or wrong ways to deal with stress in our lives but the more we can let people into our realities they better they will understand us and how we process our issues.

"EVE" My Newest Terra Human Painting!


I'm incredibly excited to finally share my newest Terra Human painting with you all! This piece is titled “EVE” and has been by far the most complex painting I've made to date with very specific lighting, tricky color transitions semi translucent clothing and not to mention a full reflection of the intricate mountains in the water! 😯

 
 

It's safe to say that I'm really proud of myself for persevering through this process from start to finish even though there were times when I thought I bit off more than I could chew. Fun fact, I composed this piece on photoshop months ago but knew that I needed to develop my skills even more so that I could have a good shot at creating this. I think that the making of this piece really speaks to a character trait that I developed in my athletic career which is always expecting more of myself. I'm constantly raising my standards of what I can create and never settling for comfortability. I feel really fortunate to have learned that ones artistic abilities are not a fixed talent rather a skill that can be developed with the right discipline and patience.
Anyways, I hope you really enjoy this piece and please give it a like or comment if you do, it really helps me out.

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Here is a full description of the piece. This painting is about our childhood. In our youth we had visceral and raw experiences with our natural world that gave us an appreciation for our surroundings and a humility for their potential. The oceans we swam in, the forests we gazed at and the mountains we climbed all gifted us with an emotional imprint that we will be stored in our hearts for the rest of our lives. And it is because we were young that we experienced these environments with such intensity. Our responsibilities were minimal, our thoughts were naive and our imaginations ran wild. We were small and new to the world so we moved though it with a curious spirit that encouraged us to explore and live in the moment. This childlike spirit is not lost though, it visits us whenever we go into nature and lose ourselves in its impossible beauty and power. When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable in this world and fully experience the environment that surrounds us we rekindle this playful spirit and allow it to walk along side us through a world that needs understanding and compassion more than ever.

UPDATE: This original painting has been sold but prints are available for purchase!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PRINTS

Newest Commission is Complete!

Hi friends, so I’m happy to say that my newest commission is officially complete! This was a month long project so I thought I would break down as much as I can about it for you so you have get a taste of my experience.

First of all, the couple who requested this painting is absolutely in love with the landscape scenery in New Mexico so they sent me some photo options for the painting reference. I narrowed down the choices to what I thought would make a great painting and we eventually decided on the scene you see in the piece.

Once we all agreed on the image, I started to lay out my painting with an initial sketch to make sure everything was in its proper place compositionally. With the sketch in place I started to tackle this huge piece section by section starting with the foreground and moving my way back in space. A bing component of this piece was light and shadow since the scene takes place during sunset so I made sure to pay special attention to how the light was hitting different shapes and textures and then what shadows those shapes created. Another component that I really tried to pay attention to is the colors in this piece. Most of the colors in this painting are subtly shifted depending if they are in a light or shadow so I wanted to make sure the colors were accurate and vibrant.

The last major section I filled in what the sky so after that I when back into every area of the painting and worked on textures and contrast .

 
 

Overall I’m very happy with how this piece turned out and I really hope that the couple who requested this piece enjoys it for years to come!

 
 

New Figure Painting!

During my summer in New Mexico I was able to schedule a few photo sessions with a few locals, in hopes to add to my library of references for potential paintings. And this painting is the first result of one of those sessions! I really enjoyed working with Emma to create some interesting photo references for future paintings. I especially loved the photos near the end of a cliff that had an amazing view. I really enjoyed photographing her in front of the trees and plants that created an interesting and dynamic backdrop.

 
 

I’m planning on creating plenty more paintings from these photo sessions but I just had to share this great piece with you all! It’s titled “Finding Distance” and is available to purchase in my shop for $300!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!

New Washington Landscape!

Hi everyone! I wanted to share my newest landscape painting titled “Winchester View.” While I was getting married in Glacier Washington I was able to get some amazing photo references for new paintings! The incredibly dynamic and jagged mountain peaks were so inspiring and interesting that I might have to create a special Washington series of paintings! So here is the first piece! This 11”x14” original painting is available for $300. Click here to purchase!

 
 
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"As One" A New Terra Human Painting!

I'm proud to bring you my newest Terra Human painting "As One.” Whenever I reflect on my artistic process its always safe to say that I’ve chosen a profession that requires an incredible amount in internal motivation that solely depends on my personal drive and dedication , and while working on this piece I felt constantly driven and inspired to create something that surpassed anything I've ever created. And by creating small attainable steps for myself everyday I was able to accomplish what I set out to do! So here is the final product along with a description. Below these you will find some process photos along with some descriptions of my painting process.

Painting Description

In this piece humans and nature breath as one. The divisions that we have insisted on for generations have evaporated and we finally see ourselves reflected in the natural world that surrounds us. Plants, trees and moss start to grow with her body as her hands reach into the earth with humility and understanding. The curves and angles of her limbs are reflected in the surrounding landscape showing the balance we can achieve when we listen and reflect. As she sleeps her breath soars with the birds in the sky while her heartbeat synchronizes with the core of the earth.

Creation Process

Before approaching this painting I did a few studies first starting with a sketch, then a landscape study and lastly a figure study. When planning large paintings like this these studies become incredibly helpful in order to learn about your proportions, size ratios, values and colors. After the studies I laid out my composition with pencil on the canvas, making sure to measure out proportions early. Now that I had the pencil sketch I started to paint in small (bite sized) sections as to not get overwhelmed. I started with the figure because I knew she would be the most challenging part of the piece and I wanted to achieve a certain glow in her skin by layering paint. I very interesting tip that I recently discovered by painting many figure studies is that the face will always contain more pink color than the skin from other parts of the body. It creates a much more natural look!

Once I painted the figure to about 90% I started painting the surrounding landscape section by section paying special attention to color and value. The colors were very important in this piece, because they showed how the sunlight was hitting the mountain peak and illustrated the shadow below. Another key decisison that added to the realism of this piece was adding cast shadows behind the tress on the figure to show that this figure was indeed a part of this landscape and had her own weight and mass. And finally once I filled in each section of the surrounding landscape I evaluated the painting overall as a whole and make some small adjustments in order to make it feel cohesive and alive!

This lovely original painting is available to purchase for $3000 in my online shop! CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!

New Terra Human Study

Here is a new Terra Human study titled "Impending Storm" this piece explores how our internal world affects our external environment. As the storm develops and creates conflict in his mind so too does the storm gain power above him.

 
 

This piece started just as a figure study but while I was working on it I felt excited to push it further and experiment with it. I really enjoyed creating the environment around this figure and pushing my technique to make sure he seemed incorporated in it.

This piece is available to purchase for $250 in my online shop! CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!

"Seeking Balance" A New Terra Human Painting

Hi friends, my newest Terra Human piece has been finished! And I thought this would be a good opportunity to share some progress photos and talk about my process when creating this challenging painting!

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When I initially laid out my shapes I accidentally over-estimated some things like the length of the figure and the height of the mountains. So I then needed to reshape these components while also starting to figure out my colors. The unfortunate part of my figure was that my reference photo was obviously not in this sunset environment so I had to adjust the colors and shadows of her skin to make it appear that she is actually being lit by this sunset.

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A huge component of this piece was the figure’s face. Her head was tilted back and to the side so this created some very challenging perspective with her features. After several tries I was able to capture her features and move onto the lace in the dress. The intricate threads in this dress were challenging but worth the struggle. I used a very small brush with long bristles so that I could create long smooth strokes. After all of the controlled details it was nice to then add in some abstraction and expressive strokes to create some movement. Once I felt close to being done I took a break from the piece and ended up coming back to it to enhance some of the colors in the sky and trees.

 
 

After many hours of work this is our final result! This original painting is available to purchase in my online store for $850. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!

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Accepted to the Stanley Arts Festival!

Hi friends, I'm happy to announced that I've been accepted to the Stanley Arts Festival in Denver this coming September!

Last year I wasn't accepted to this great festival so it's really nice to feel an improvement!

 
 

I will be able to share more details closer to the event, but this should be a great festival! After all it’s produced by Cherry Creek Arts!

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Works in Progress

Hello everyone, I just thought I would share two progress photos of some paintings I’m currently working on! The photo on the left is the face of a 18”x24” Terra Human painting that is almost done! The photo on the right is a shot of a smaller Terra Human study that I’ve enjoyed working on.

Both of these paintings should be done this week and I’m excited to share the final results!

"Majestic Rockies" Has Been Sold!

I’m happy to say that “Majestic Rockies” has been sold!
I’m very pleased with how this study turned out and I’m so thrilled that if found a new home! 

 
 

Sometimes when I start small studies for large paintings I can’t help but bring them to completion because of my excitement. This piece was a great practice painting for a great Terra human piece which you can view by clicking HERE!

 
 

"Old Brother" on Sale!

Here is my first throwback Thursday sale!

“Old Brother” is for sale for the reduced price of $200!

This price cut will only last through the weekend!
This piece is 24”x30” and has a coat of varnish.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!

Here is the original high quality image.

Here is a sample image in a living room.

Throwback Thursday Sale!

Hello everyone! I’m very excited about this weekly sale I am launching. Every Thursday I will post a throwback Thursday painting on Facebook and Instagram that will have a LIMITED TIME PRICE CUT!

This weekly sale will feature plenty of unique and affordable original paintings that I’m excited to share with you all again!

So be on the lookout for your favorite paintings at reduced prices!

 
 

New Terra Human Painting!

I have finally finished a new large Terra Human painting!
I'm so proud of what I have accomplish in this painting and I hope you all enjoy it! This piece explores the concept of an uninhibited imagination and the willingness to fulfill a vision.

Click HERE to view other Terra Human paintings!

In the beginning stages it was very crucial to block in all of the major shapes and make sure the proportions of the figure were correct. This resulted in me re-working the figure once because I initially made here too large.

I the middle stages I was focused on filling in colors as much as I could was starting to add value and textures to things like the trees, curtains and robe. I took a lot of time to focus on shadows so that the piece looked as realistic as possible within a surreal setting.

In the final stages I spent a lot of time on the woman’s skin tone so that she not only looked realistic but had a personality to her. I also worked on adding sharp contrast to the image while also cleaning up any spots that lacked detail. This stage can be quite maddening because I can always find little things to fix and it can be very difficult to decide when the piece is finished.

But never the less I got to the finish line! This very complex image was a great challenge that pushed my observational skills to a new level. To me this piece symbolizes grace, tranquility and a respect for imagination.

This piece is currently available to purchase! Click HERE to view it in the shop!

Recent Sales!

Hi friends, December has been a busy month with many sales that I’m happy to say are making for a great donation to ACE Scholarships! Here are some recent sales of original paintings!

Black Canyon

Black Canyon

Dancer Study

Dancer Study

Breckenridge Sunset

Breckenridge Sunset

So far the donation to ACE Scholarship is over $300! Lets keep the momentum to support this great organization! The charity promotion will last until December 25th.

 
Evergreen Snow

Evergreen Snow