There is something about the way an old painting looks that has always gotten to me. From very early on I was interested in creating art and did so with my grandfather, my first mentor, my first inspiration into art. The more I engaged in looking at art and experiencing art, the more fascinated I became with the effect that art has on memories. The way that you can look at a rose and feel the powder of the petals, the softness of them, the coolness. The way when you look at a teapot you can feel how heavy it is in your hand, understand the texture of the metal. These moments in which past and present intersect drive my ambition towards art making. Oil paint, charcoal, photography, and other more traditional materials allow me to reach that goal.
To better get to the psychological impact of art, I have begun more recently to dive deeper into theories surrounding how we are impacted by art, why we make art, and our ability to use art to tear away our own masks. When I use digital media and more contemporary mediums to create art, I am exploring the conversation between what is authentic and what is artificial. The psychological investigation is a discussion on authenticity, what is authentic when anyone can print it out and how do we determine authenticity within ourselves?
I hope to continue to combine my love for psychology and art by investigating the combination of traditional styles of art making and contemporary methods of artmaking with my interest in psychology to create an interaction between the viewer and art. This interaction is designed to give viewers a sense of a memory when looking at my art and promote deeper thinking, learning, and exploration. These moments of looking at my art create a bond in viewers who will never know each other and never speak to each other, but share the same moment when viewing my work.