I spend much of my time reading art history, science journals, watching films, listening to podcasts with interviews from accomplished mathematicians, theoretical physicists, evolutionary biologists, historians, semioticians, and a plethora of interdisciplinary thinkers who open the door for higher thought, or, more accurately, blow it open with the veracity of compact plastic explosives. A long time ago, when linguistics were less developed, this time would be called searching for a “muse.” I like to think of it as incubation. Information enters through various forms of consumption, i.e. reading books, watching films, listening to music and conversation, viewing art, etc. I think. The cells of thought replicate, grow, and exit my mind through the tactile exercise of drawing. There is something that happens purely on the visual level, abiding by the parameters of the visual language. This language is different from the written or spoken word and operates under a different set of rules.

First I start with a wood panel. I liberally pour equal parts primary colors plus titanium white on the surface and manipulate the pigment with various tools until I have a color field layer that is satisfying. I then apply a layer of gesso to give the surface some tooth while creating negative space to draw. Then I draw using charcoal, soft pastels, and oil stick. Once the drawing and mark making is done, I use an acrylic varnish to seal the piece.