Magazine

How does your participation in Make-It-Pop! resonate with the exhibition's emphasis on vibrant colors, graphic styles, and ironic subject matters?

The painting style of my butterflies isn’t as vibrant or graphic as 1950-60s Pop Art movement, I think that it fits into the ideals of pop art and this show. The combination of the back grounds (vintage boxing magazine) with the hand-painted butterflies bridges “high art” and “low culture” which was a major theme in the Pop Art movement. Additionally, the inspiration for the series is Muhammad Ali’s iconic quote: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” This harkens back to the Pop Art tradition of bringing mass culture and celebrity into fine arts.

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What are your aspirations for viewers' takeaways from experiencing your artwork showcased at the Make-It-Pop! group exhibition at InLiquid Gallery?

I want my paintings to bring joy to the viewer. I don’t have a complicated or political message in my work. My art revolves around love. It is always my love for holding a paint brush and moving colors, but also my love for the subject matter, in this case boxing. I hope that the viewer gets to experience a little bit of the joy that I spend my life chasing.

‍Your series, Float & Sting (which is on view at Make-it-Pop!), revolves around your love for the sport of boxing. How do you balance the roughness or powerful strength of boxing alongside the delicacy of butterflies within the same composition? 
I think this question is a testament to the duality of human nature. Nobody can be all one thing. Although boxing is rough and powerful it is also deeply vulnerable and compassionate. Your coaches and teammates take care of each other. I have met some of the kindest people in the world through combat sport. These are the same people that have left me with black eyes. The art work is just that, delicate tender butterflies paired with harshness of mass produced magazines depicting hardened athletes.

‍You speak of your love and appreciation for mundane routine referencing everyday foods and furniture, travel, city living, and music. How does the boxing series fit within that broader celebration? And what about boxing do you enjoy the most? 
Boxing is part of my daily life and routine. I’m in the gym 5 days a week, training for a fight that may or may not ever happen. To somebody that doesn’t train, boxing doesn’t seem mundane, but it can certainly be a daily grind. Doing the same drills over and over is similar to my propensity to paint large bodies of work, repeating the same style and subject matter. I most love the community. Boxing has given me the opportunity to make connections with people from very diverse backgrounds that I otherwise wouldn’t have met. We come together to work towards a common goal and support each other through literal blood, sweat and tears.

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Your work is deeply personal and introspective as they incorporate observations of your daily routines from acute details to your travels. How do you choose exactly what to represent in your artwork? Is it a selective process or an inherent form of release? 
I think it is a bit compulsive. I come up with an idea and if feels right I hammer away at it for months or longer, repeating the same process over and over, often a dozen to several dozen similar pieces. Make It Pop showcases a dozen pieces from my Float & Sting series but there are actually two dozen in total. I am currently working on a series of sneaker paintings, starting with my own shoes. I have had the idea ruminating in my mind for a couple years. I just had to wear myself out on the butterflies before starting the sneakers.

‍In your artist statement you discuss having the “privilege” to observe beautiful moments of common life that drives your artistic projects to fruition. Honing in on the beauty of the overlooked or the immense presence of ordinary life, what do you hope to exude with your series of work through these optimistic observations? 
In a world full of violence, chaos and heart ache it is a privilege to be able to slow down and observe the easily overlooked details. I am abundantly fortunate to have the time and space to sit down in a safe environment to create this work. It is easy to take that for granted. More and more, people are losing their safety and freedom and it is not lost on me that painting itself is a privilege and to paint something as ordinary as sneakers beyond fortunate.

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Your pieces often include found materials with painted imagery, collected or photographed within the course of your routines. How did you specifically source your collage pieces for the Float & Sting series? Were these sourced differently than that of previous works?
The collage pieces come from a set of 1920s Ring Magazine. I purchased them on eBay. I don’t always incorporate collage, but when I do eBay and thrift stores are a great resource.

Do you have any advice for travelers or people in general to become more centered in their daily routines and mundane aspects of life?
I spend a lot of time alone. It affords me the opportunity to slowdown and appreciate the little things. But solitude and solo travel isn’t for everyone. I think people should do what brings them joy, whatever that looks like for them.