Artists Statement

I have spent more than twenty years balancing my career between working with designers, artists and curators on exhibitions as an on-site graphics/signage installer and a visual artist. As a graphics installer, I have had the opportunity to work with the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and several other art establishments on hundreds of shows. This experience plus the work I have done on my own pieces and installations has helped shape the methods, skills and aesthetics applied to my artwork.

The primary focus of my work is the urban setting and many components that form it. I have mainly been interested in the existence and placement of nature within the close proximity of architecture and the co-existence of the traditional and the contemporary. Much of what I'm attempting is to recreate passing moments in and around a city.

Featuring images of architectural structures, signs, lighting, people, plant-life, etc. my works are usually presented in a photographic format. The pictures are mostly shot while in transit, traveling through cities mainly in Asia. The sites range from train stations, adult entertainment venues, places of worship and much of my path in between. Some of the photos are clear, focused and very specific, while others are shot in motion, blurred and semi-representational. On a location I try to find high contrast and vibrant subjects in order to produce rich cinematic images.

The techniques being utilized are photography, screen-printing, vinyl application and large format inkjet. The materials used are paper, metals, backlit film, glass and acrylic sheets. These mediums allow me to present a portion of my ideas as installations. In an attempt to challenge the viewer and myself, I often choose unconventional placement, primarily corners, of an exhibition space to display a site-specific work. When creating individual pieces, select materials help to define the appearance as clean and almost manufactured. Some of the works incorporate backlighting, inspired from signage.

In the end, my artwork is about sharing personal journeys with the viewer and is a bit narrative and autobiographical. The works commentary and observations deal with the rapid development and pace in the metropolitan and the merger of so much of the progressing world around us.