Q: You describe your work as an aerial view of the landscape.  Can you tell us more about how you collect source imagery for your paintings?  What made you want to approach landscape painting from this perspective?

A: I Find an aerial perspective so intriguing because the perspective operates in a particular way. When we view a landscape from far and above, time slows to a near-stop. We have moments to see how places and systems in our daily lives are connected. We gain a view of our regular life by taking time out of it. 

I have done some pretty crazy things to take my source imagery; I’ve ridden in a helicopter at least 100 times, operated a crane at a shipping port, and even rappelled from a high-rise. One thing I will never do is use a drone or satellite imagery- I need to see the place with my own eyes, experience it myself. 

For this series, I took several source images from riding in different ferris wheels. 

Q: You describe your approach to painting as an open-ended process without a preconceived course to completion. Can you take us through your process and how you make choices as you paint?  How do you know when a painting is finished?

A: I take a walk with my paintbrush- starting with a color that I mix and apply. Then every color after is a tonal shift from the one before. It’s a visual game of telephone. When I paint, I am walking across the canvas slowly and don’t know where I will finish. Equal time is spent tightening and loosening the visual field- by working towards precision and geometric patterning or letting paint drip and flow. 

It may sound crazy, but I feel I don’t have a tremendous amount of control in the development of the piece. The process is a series of steps, one after the other and each is informed by the one before it, and how I’m feeling internally. 

Q: Your color palette is really well defined but also really complex.  How do you determine your color palette?  Also how do you build color to create complexity in layers?

A: Color is the whole reason I paint. I started as an abstract metal installationist- not much color in that discipline. So I switched.  I could gain color inspiration from anything; a still from a horror film, a flower I pass by, someone’s outfit. I have a library of inspiration that is always building. I start there and try to restrict my colors always. But half-way through my painting process there is a shift and I bring in all the colors. It is important to me that I use a spectrum in every piece, because that is life. Life is all the colors. 

Q: Do you have a favorite artist or artists?  

A: It changes so often- I love artists more for their concepts than anything else: physicisists, musicians, architects, etc. Some visual artists that I am vibing with right now are Pascuala Lira from Chile, and Siddarth Shingade from India. 

Q: What inspires you to keep painting when there are so many mediums and options to choose from?

A: I paint because it affords me the most freedom. Sculpture always considers space and photography and film are all about time. Painting is pure illusion, I can address and play with any concepts I choose. I still create installations because physical movement is important to me, but painting is where my heart currently lies- in color.