Exquisite Arts Magazine Vol 3 - Nov/ Dec 2016 | Page 45

subjects. Focusing on artists primarily was
a choice made because of my environment,
but it is in the simple gestures that go
unnoticed that I think some of the best
stories lie.
People and their personalities motivate me
most of the time. But presently I am
inspired less by the person and more by
capturing mood and using light as a
compositional device. In this way, the
figures are only a puzzle piece. This may
seem detached, but I work with people I
love regardless of what I’m painting.

The realism of your artwork is stunning.
What is your artistic background? How
long have you been creating art?
I’ve been drawing for as long as I remember,
but it wasn’t until I started considering art
school in high school that I began taking it
seriously. In college I started off as a
graphic design major, but quickly realized I
hated sitting at the computer for so many
hours. It was during my sophomore year
after watching one of my heroes, Boris
Vallejo, painting in person that I switched to
illustration and never looked back.
I
realized soon after my BFA that what I really
care about is painting the figure and the
actual process of painting. My process(es)
have developed largely through my own
experiments and studying outside of
school, but taking workshops and classes
helped me with technique finesse. In 2015,
I also completed my MFA in fine art
painting, where I created several of the
paintings now in this competition.

Who do you admire artistically, who are
your favourite artists?
It’s a long list… Rembrandt, Vermeer,
Rubens, Michelangelo, John Singer Sargent,
Ilya Repin, Antonio Mancini, Anders Zorn,
Picasso, Franz Kline, Mondrian, Monet,
Manet. That’s just a fraction of the list of
the older masters.
Artists alive today
include Steven Assael, Vincent Desiderio,
Ann Gale, Katherine Kehoe, Jenny Saville,
Dorian Vallejo, Boris Vallejo, Donato
Giancola,
Kevin
Moore,
Tomutsu
Takishima, and many many more.

What do you enjoy most about being an
artist? What motivates you to paint?
I’ve always liked stories, visual and literary.
With my art I have tried to focus on
capturing small, seemingly insignificant
moments in the day-to-day lives of my

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