Artistic Statement

Artistic Statement

Art is a singular human endeavor that combines analytical and emotional elements. Machines cannot replicate this experience. As an interdisciplinary artist, my art covers a variety of mediums and styles, all with the goal of exploring the human experience. Through my art, I examine a number of themes such as emotions, human nature, and the relationship between technology and humanity.

I have been practicing art off and on since I was a teenager, starting with calligraphy, specifically in the italic script. However, I never took it seriously as a way to make a living. It wasn't until a couple of years ago, during an economic downturn in my local economy, that I decided to return to art and expand my skills. This was a challenging journey as there was a lack of educational materials, teachers, artistic materials, and the high cost of art supplies. But eventually, I was able to figure things out and express myself through my art.

The art that I make and sell is done by human hands, with human thought and human effort and are designated as such. I also create visual objects for society using AI tools, but these are separately designated as "technological designs" due to the lack of emotional and intellectual involvement in their creation.

Four Pillars of My Art

When creating my art, I hold onto four key concepts, as represented by the following quotations:

1. Hemingway, The Old Man and The Sea - "Man can be destroyed but not defeated."
2. Kahlil Gibran, Vision - "Life without Rebellion is like seasons without Spring. And Rebellion without Right is like Spring in an arid desert"
3. Robert Louis Stevenson - “Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others."
4. Bertrand Russell, Why Men Fight - “Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth -- more than ruin, more even than death. Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habits; thought is anarchic and lawless, indifferent to authority, careless of the well-tried wisdom of the ages. Thought looks into the pit of hell and is not afraid ... Thought is great and swift and free, the light of the world, and the chief glory of man.”

Dave McKean, whose art has been featured in comics such as Sandman, Arkham Asylum, Violent Cases and Cages, agrees with my perspective that art is a human endeavor and that the process and effort put into creating something is just as important as the end result. He believes that "there is a life bound into" art and that when we connect deeply with a piece, we are connecting with the life of the person who made it.