About

I’m a 26-year-old artist working in Seattle, Washington. My interests include but are not limited to: taking apart Macs, debating theology and philosophy, experiencing or creating fine cuisine, making either art or a mess (especially with my web-comic, Poor Butterfly), tasting Washington State wines, going to shows, touching very old books, playing with my cat Pwca, watching television shows on Netflix, and contact juggling.

Yes, I do contract work. I have done web design, print design, and various portfolioimages for games, books, t-shirts, greeting cards, murals, posters, and gifts. Please visit my Design page for more information on what I might have to offer you or your small business!

Recent work:

One of my pieces was accepted into the Seattle Erotic Art Festival, a juried Seattle show that draws thousands of submissions internationally. Visit SEAF’s website for more information, and to view a gallery of the show. Please also feel free to visit this interview which I did for KOMO News on the Festival!

I created a 19' x 5' mural for George’s Wine Shoppe in Bellevue, which, stationed as it is directly about his Walla Walla wine selection, depicts (sort of) downtown Walla Walla. (Walla Wallans will recognize some landmarks, although I’ve rearranged them.)

Exhibition History:

•       Painting Exhibition
        Grapefields Wine Cafe and Gallery, Walla Walla, WA — 2006
•       Drawing Exhibition
        Grapefields Wine Cafe and Gallery, Walla Walla, WA — 2006
•       Senior Art Thesis Exhibition
        Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA — 2007
•       “Correspondence” show for Her Mother Was Imagination by Annex Theatre
        Blue Highway Games, Seattle, WA — 2010
•       Seattle Erotic Art Festival
        Fremont Studios, Seattle, WA — 2011

About art:

I love art. I love creating it, and I love viewing it. I find that art can be as overwhelming as great movies and music that flow over you in waves of emotion, discovery, and grace. That’s not all that art can do, and I would rather not resign it to fulfilling only one specific function. Kant wasn’t wrong, but neither is Kinkade. If a piece speaks to you or renews your perspective, who cares about its price, its history, its profound impact on modern art theory, or anything else? If it means something special to you, that’s all that matters, and that’s what art is.

But why do I like to make it? I have to. I haven’t entirely figured out if it is a compulsion, or just a really tenacious habit. I do know that I become surly and unfulfilled if I do not draw for several days, much as I would if I did not bathe for several days. The desire to draw has been with me for as long as I can remember, long before I had any formal instruction. In my formal training at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, I have taken courses in ceramics, painting, drawing, and printmaking. My preferences in media tend toward pen and ink drawing, though I also love woodcut prints, monoprints, etchings, watercolor, acrylic paint, charcoal, graphite, pastels, and inkwash. In my subject matter, I am utterly intrigued by the human form; I also love to draw fabrics, flames, trees, and anything else I can find that has a fascinating, organic shape or pattern.

I have a particular passion for book illustration in all forms, from early illustration styles utilizing woodcut prints and etchings all the way to modern childrens’ books and graphic novels.

If you ask me what I’m trying to say in a specific piece, I’ll tell you, if there is any intended message. Sometimes there isn’t. I’d rather leave it up to you to decide what you like or hate about the art, but if you’re confused, I’m not at all above answering any questions you have.

Influences:

•       Aubrey Beardsley
•       Harry Clarke
•       Brian Froud
•       Arthur Rackham
•       Maurice Sendak
•       Edward Gorey.