Tell a little bit about how you first got into creating art.

I grew up in a small town in northern Iowa, and I often went to the local art museum. It was a converted Tudor mansion built by a WWI general, and I loved being in that space. It was a sort of refuge for me while growing up in an alcoholic household. I was drawn to all the cool art. Not so much the midwestern landscapes and farm life realism… the other stuff. The weird, oddly composed abstract works. They spoke to me the most and became a sort of imaginary bridge to another place that was far away. The thought of actually picking up brush and paint never even crossed my mind until I was well into adulthood. I think the very idea of it profoundly intimidated me. Anyone pursuing a creative passion has those doubts at some point… be it an artist or musician or poet.  Eventually, we just take that first step and create. Put something of ourselves out there and make it real and tangible. For me, that first step was a chance meeting with an artist and gallery owner who invited me to just “…move some paint around” on a canvas in her studio. Once I started, I didn’t want to stop. It was like I was now seeing the world from the other side of that imaginary bridge. It’s the language of abstract expressionism—deeply and richly satisfying on many levels.

What artists or movements have had an impact on you?

The midcentury moderns greatly influence me… especially the spontaneous, erratic gestures of de Kooning, Bluhm and Pollock.
I love that energy and lack of constraint… and the emotional depth that can be conveyed. I also find a lot of inspiration in how Edward Hopper used color and created moodiness and isolation with saturation and shadow and light. Ryan Sullivan (no relation) is a contemporary artist whose work I find very inspiring… rich color palettes and bold compositions that are so harmonious.

What is your source of inspiration?

I am self-taught, and inspiration for me largely comes from the subconscious. I often wake up with the sense of a new painting in my head, and I focus on holding on to it until I can jot down some notes about it. Just enough to capture its essence. Eventually it comes time to paint it… maybe right away or maybe days or weeks later.  The origin image in my head really only serves as the starting point.  When I get to work, the process isn’t mindful or intentional. It’s more stream of consciousness. I am never all that sure about what a piece is saying until it is done. And then, when I look at it and consider it, I understand where it came from and what piece of me has been captured.

What themes does your work involve?

There is a lot of psychology in my work…  separation and loss, chaos and calm, damage and resolve. There is often a sense of some tangible thing that is just out of reach and not quite in scope, too… an illusiveness.

What is important to you about the visual experiences you create?

I want viewers to feel like they are suddenly discovering something but can’t quite put their finger on it. Rich color saturations and textural layers blending with marks and lines and gestures that are pleasing to look at while also sparking an inner tension.