How long have you been creating?

I've only been professionally creating for about two years. However I've been doing art for a lot longer than that. I'd say that I really realized I wanted to be an artist back in high school, when I was doing comic books that I would self publish and give out to friends. Then it just continued as a hobby up until more recently when I decided to make it a full time job.

What is your media of choice?

Right now my media of choice is definitely pen and ink. I also love to throw some gouache in there along with the pen and ink to give more contrast in texture and color. Of course, like many artists, i'm an art supply junkie, so I've done art in just about every media possible. In the future I hope to give oils some serious attention.

What are your motivations for creating?

I'm really addicted to seeing my own finished product. Sometimes actually doing the art can be tedious and frustrating, however it's all worth it when I see my visions brought to life in a finished piece. Also of course it's wonderful when collectors buy my pieces and are so excited to have them hanging on their walls, it's quite rewarding to know people are looking at and enjoying my art every day in their own homes.

What other artists or movements inform your work?

I suppose that I should tip my hat to hindu art, I love the symbolism they use and the way they convey whole stories in one picture, I've been known to use those aspects in my artwork, and I've occasionally done traditional hindu figures in my own style. In general though I try not to dwell on other people's work too much, and focus mainly on what just comes out of my head naturally.

What do you find visually stimulating right now?

I find uninhabited places most visually stimulating right now. I love to go on hikes and be in the nature around me, or go to long abandoned industrial areas and see what shadows are left behind. Even though I'm not a photographer by a long shot, I often take pictures those areas to remind me of the quiet beauty of the world.

What's the last book you read?

I don't read that often, it can take me months or years to finish a book... but right now i'm about in the middle of Walden by Henry David Thoreau.

Tell us about some of your artistic goals for 2006.

For the most part I've just been working in small format art. I think in the near future I'd like to expand and do larger works, and perhaps incorporate an extra dimension into some of my works. Sometimes it's hard when things are going so well to step out of my comfort zone, but it's really important to me to push my skills into other areas and do some larger projects.

What would you like your fellow EBSQ artists and our collectors to know about you and/or your work?

I'd like to give my gratitude to all the collectors for supporting us EBSQ artists. Before I decided on concentrating on art as a profession, I delivered auto parts, and although it wasn't really a bad job driving around in the Santa Cruz mountains, I felt ultimately like my life was wasting away. Without my collectors, there is no point, I'd like them to know they are enhancing my life and I hope that in return I'm enhancing theirs. Then to everybody, my work is very much about stretching the imagination, and it doesn't stop at just my imagination in creating the piece. I want everyone to look at my pieces and use their own imagination to create their own story for each one. This is one of the reasons I put little to no descriptions with my pieces, I want people to look at them and decide for themselves what they're all about.