Artist's Statement
From a young age I have enjoyed drawing and painting. I graduated from the University of Georgia in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Art with a concentration in Scientific Illustration, cum laude.
I find a great deal of inspiration in the natural world: The serenity of a lush forest, soft moss over ten-ton boulders, the boiling yellow sun, weightless clouds over a cerulean sky, waves carelessly crashing into weathered stone, prickly reeds and gurgling streams. I seek out this beauty, often hiking many miles to find inspiring locations, where I then paint on the spot, in the open air or ‘en plein air’ as the French impressionists called it.
These works reflect the challenge of racing against the setting sun, and often the discomfort of the elements. Many a time, I find myself battling cold, or heat or swarms of insects. These challenges are expressed in loose brushwork, and concentrated areas of detail, making these paintings more gestural than much of my other work. I usually use watercolor for these although I do sometimes find myself using other mediums including casein, gouache, and chalk pastel. This body of work has been the primary focus of my personal art starting in late 2019.
Much of my other art revolves around science fiction and surreal imagery, often based in a mysterious and strange world, filled with unnatural landscapes, machine-men, and often a wanderer who is occasionally in grave danger. This figure is akin to the Rückenfigur from Romanticism, and acts to draw the viewer in so that they may better understand the scale and the intricacies of each scene. The logic of this inner world is broken, which, is reflected by a sometimes lacking distinction between subjects in contorted meshes of repeating patterns, conduits and seemingly organic matter. I often use watercolor for these works. They would be best described as experimental, although many have a very refined level of detail.
Selected Shows and Awards
2023 2nd Place, Paintings on Canvas, Open Professional Division, The Georgia National Fair, juried by: Claudia Wilburn
2023 Tom & Lora Arledge Merit Award, Paintings on Paper, Open Professional Division, The Georgia National Fair, juried by: Claudia Wilburn
2023-2024 Exhibitor, The Art of Georgia IV, Landscapes, artwork displayed at the Georgia State Capitol, Governor's Mansion and Ballroom for one year
2023 Exhibitor Georgia Watercolor Society Juried 2023 Member Exhibition, juried by: Ian Stewart
2023 First Place, MadFest Inaugural Plein Air Competition
2022 First Place, Sixth Annual Eatonton One Day Paint Out, juried by: Ed Cahill and Brenda Pinnick
2022 Exhibitor Georgia Watercolor Society Juried 2022 Member Exhibition, juried by: Lynn Pratt
2021 Dodo Bird 3D model selected for Sketchfab Staff Pick and Cultural Heritage and History Top 10 - 2021 wk 40 3D Models
2021 Exhibitor, "2021 Society of Watercolor Artists, International Juried Exhibition", juried by: Andy Evansen
2021 Exhibitor, "South Carolina Watermedia Society, 2021 Spring Online Exhibition" juried by: Mick McAndrews
2020 Exhibitor, "It's Only Nature", Fernbank Atlanta GA
2020 Exhibitor, "Guild Winner's Exhibition", Sumter County Gallery of Art
2020 Exhibitor, "SCWS traveling show", open only to award winners at the SCWS 2019 annual show, touring 12 galleries including the State Museum in South Carolina *Show cancelled due to Covid-19 Pandemic after touring The Sumter County Gallery, and the SC State Museum.
2019 Exhibitor and Jamestown WCS Dot Dixon Memorial Award, South Carolina Watermedia Society (SCWS) Annual Juried Exhibition 2019, juried by: Ryan Fox
2019 Best in Show, "Sumter Artists Guild Annual show", Sumter County Gallery of Art
2019 Solo Exhibition "Waking Dream: Scenes From Nature, and Imagination" University of South Carolina, Sumter Campus
2018 Permanent Painting Installation "Tate Involvement Bulldog" Tate Center University of Georgia
2018 Exhibitor "The Annual Scientific Illustration and Medical Illustration Exhibit" Augusta University Greenblatt Medical Science Library, Augusta University and The Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia
2017 Exhibitor "Student Works" Franklin College Brooks Hall Gallery, University of Georgia
2017 Exhibitor "The Annual Scientific Illustration and Medical Illustration Exhibit" Augusta University Greenblatt Medical Science Library, Augusta University and The Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia
2017 Purchase Prize for Permanent Collection "28th National Drawing and Print Competitive Exhibition" Notre Dame of Maryland University
2015 Exhibitor "Lyndon House 40th Juried Exhibition" Juried by Carter Foster, the curator of Drawings from the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. The Lyndon House, Athens GA
2015 Publication "Still Point Literary Magazine Spring 2014-2015 Edition" University of Georgia