Art has been my first language.
Long before I could speak, I was drawing. It became the way I made sense of the world—a place where observation, imagination, and contemplation came together. Nearly fifty years later, that instinct remains at the center of everything I create.
Although I have spent more than two decades working as a professional photographic retoucher for artists, photographers, and global brands—including Annie Leibovitz, Nike, Chanel, Netflix, and many others—my own studio practice has always existed alongside that career. Painting has never been separate from my life; it has been the constant thread running through it.
There is an interesting paradox between these two worlds. As a retoucher, my work has often involved creating images so seamless that the craft disappears entirely. In the studio, I pursue the opposite. My paintings embrace erosion, history, imperfection, and the evidence of the human hand. Where commercial imagery seeks perfection, my paintings search for presence.
Looking back, I realize that much of my career was spent helping others realize their creative visions. Reaching this stage of my life has brought a profound shift in perspective. Rather than polishing someone else's diamonds, I have chosen to devote myself to uncovering my own. My work is deeply influenced by anthropology, mythology, graffiti, archaeology, and the visual language humanity has carried across generations. I am fascinated by the marks people leave behind—whether carved into stone, painted onto city walls, or preserved within memory. Through layered surfaces and mixed media, I explore the places where history, intuition, and personal experience intersect.
For me, painting is more than a profession or creative outlet—it is a contemplative practice. It is where I experience the greatest sense of freedom, curiosity, and possibility. Each painting becomes both an excavation and a conversation, inviting viewers to slow down, reflect, and discover their own connections within the work.
Today, from my studio in Portland, Oregon, I continue to build a body of work that explores the timeless visual language shared across cultures while encouraging others to trust their own creative voice.