Artists are weird, right? But that’s who we are. We want nothing more than to live life as the person who is truly inside us. I’m a painter, a welder of steel, a worker of clay, and the author of thirteen acclaimed novels.
As a frequent sufferer of depression, though, I experience times of darkness. But in that deep dark place, I look up. I’m looking for the light. So to find that light I find myself wanting to create bright, bold, and beautiful artwork. Art that doesn’t have to be stuffy. Art that will make me feel better. Art that will make someone smile. In painting, I came up with the Super Happy Series as a way to express not what I was feeling at the time, but what I wanted to feel at the time, and what I wanted others to feel too.
My studio is nestled in a vibrant neighborhood, and is filled to the brim with the tools I need to escape into a place where I let my mind go blank as I experiment with what I can create. Sometimes, it’s the hum of machinery and the scent of molten metal as I weld discarded pieces of steel, imagining something beautiful coming out the other side. My metal creations, often large-scale sculptures, are each a story in themselves.
Adjacent to my welding station, I work with clay, molding it into forms that conjure up emotions I’m trying to express; emotions I’m trying to release. My clay works are finished pieces of art themselves, but I often then use them as the mold from which I express the same shape in metal.
What I have to explain to people is that artists find inspiration where they find beauty. So for me, most of my sculptures depict the beauty of the female form.
And then there’s my paintings. Most are fully whimsical in nature. Some people might look at them and say “they’re childlike.” But to me, isn’t that the whole point? I love to watch the look on someone’s face when they see one of my paintings on canvas, perhaps a painting of a simple donut, and they are catapulted back to their childhood, to a place most adults have long forgotten. And that’s what art can do to people. Maybe now you see why some of us are artists.
And then there’s my writing. To say the least, I’ve been a prolific writer, having authored thirteen acclaimed novels. When writing my books, mainly thriller novels, I go into a new world; a place where few dare to go. I love weaving in rich detail and deep symbolism.
My main character is Jana Baker, a young female FBI agent. And the entire point of me dreaming up Jana was that I wanted to give my own two daughters a look at a woman who fought her way through a man’s world and came out an equal. I wanted them to see that they are capable of more than they think they are, and that they can prevail. Yes, Jana Baker is a strong female, but she’s flawed as well. She has a past that keeps unraveling, piece by piece as she learns more about her parents, who died long ago.
My books also follow themes, however, that are the harbinger of my own inner pain and hidden demons as another bout of depression descends upon me. And I think you’ll find that emotion, that feeling, spilling out onto the page.
With my novels, what I’d love is for you to be taken on a thrill-ride. I want you to fall in love with the characters, feels their struggles, and their failures.
With my paintings and sculptures, what I would love is nothing more than for you to look at one and smile. If I’ve made you smile, then I’ve done something good for the world.
Outside of my wife, my daughters, and my art is another great love; a passion for the environment. I hope you see this passion as it permeates throughout my work. I often choose recycled or reclaimed materials, turning what was once discarded into something beautiful.
I hope you’ll take a look at my novels, sculptures, and paintings.