My introduction into the paint world is a bit different than most. I was never trained in a school or by a teacher. Everything I've done is self exploration, and I was thrown into it head first- My first painting was actually done live in front of a crowd at a music event in Detroit in 2012. It was at this show I found I really enjoyed the fusion of live music and creating art. I found I had a place that all my friends could find me, and I realized I had somewhere to emit and store all that energy of a live music setting within my canvas. At the end of the night, I got to take the painting home with me. I realized early on that paintings are just time recorded through brush strokes; So even to this day, over ten years later, I can still look at the painting and it brings me back to the people I was with, what I felt, and the music I heard.  

Painting in front of a crowd has become second nature at this point. When I paint live, I try my best to bring out pieces that are fun to watch progression throughout the night. Most of my work is intuitive, and done in flow. I rarely have a sketch, or a final composition in mind while working. So being a focal point for a group of people doesn't bother me. In fact, sometimes it helps me really get into a flow state where I'm not thinking about anything... and in that flow state is where I find a lot of my favorite work comes from. It keeps me coming back.

Recently, I have been able to separate the two. I do a lot of design work in tattoo designs, and designs for clothing and posters etc. This keeps my paintings in a separate space. I really like having two different outlets that I can bounce between. It keeps my creative spirit feeling fresh. As far as my work being a message; I think all art is subjective. What a painting means to me is going to be much different from another person's viewpoint. And I like it that way. I think this is evident in a good gallery show. It's basically a blank space with focal points to talk about. Everyone gets to talk about what they see or how a piece makes them feel. And I think it's these differences between each viewer that makes art interesting; Because art is just a mirror to the viewer. Some of my favorite interpretations of my work come from all different varieties of people. This is another reason I love painting live- I'll get so many different insights differing from my own. 

Darkstar began as an idea for exploration. Two years ago, I discovered a tiedye artist who did incredible symmetrical ice dyes. While checking out her work, I thought it would be an amazing canvas to work on top of. After some research on how to make it possible, I started slowly rendering the forms I saw in the tiedye. I started it on stage at a big concert in Florida, and over two years, I brought it out to many single night shows and festivals across the country. The entire piece was done "live". It's one of my favorite symmetrical pieces I've ever done. 

"Veil" started as a tattoo design for a very good friend of mine. It's awesome to see it in such a different format. This holographic embossed print has to be seen and felt in person to truly experience it fully.