Abstract Series (3). 2010.

"But, There is Science!"

"Bridge of Sighs" 

"Frances Looked the Apparition" 

"Heaven Knows It's Got to Be This Time"

  These paintings were done in 2010 as part of the second wave of my abstract series. I had taken a break from this series to explore some different approaches. Here I tried to explore different ways to make these paintings while establishing my "style." One thing artist must do is to continue to explore and experiment. This is how we get better and grow. Not every work is successful, not every work achieves that status of capital "A" Art. As in life, we learn from mistakes and failures, as much, if not more, than we do from our successes.

Abstract Series (2). 2009-10.

"The Teenagers"

"Civility"

"G.I. Romance" 

"Foundation" 

"I Might Have a Whole Other Life Next Time You See Me"

 These paintings were made primarily in 2009. They were later in the first wave of this abstract painting series. I painted them in the back of my comic shop. I was experiencing a huge creative burst and in the process, learning to be a painter. There was a lot of growth during that time.  These later works I think show that when compared to the earlier ones. They all provided different challenges and finding the solutions was part of the learning experience.

Abstract Series (1). 2009-2010.

"Apex or Blessing"

"Promise Garden"

"Poem 2"

"This House is Cold,  But I Will Start a Fire"

"Unrequited"

  These paintings were made during a creative burst in 2009. I made around 60 or more similar paintings in a span of about three months. Each one was more complex and a learning experience. These are some of the early-mid period works from those three months.
   I hadn't really painted much in the year and a half prior. I had graduated from college, applied to a couple of graduate schools, and was just working. I didn't get into grad school and ended up buying a comic book store. I felt a great need to make art again, so I began to paint. I wanted to do something new and challenging. I began to experiment  with  pure abstraction and heavy color use, both of which were new to me.
    These paintings made me think about color, shape, and form in a new and more complex way. I put to use what I had learned in art school and in the process, I became a painter, not just someone who draws with paint. People have responded positively to this series and I worked on it for about a two years. Now, whenever I am in a spot, or need to clear my artistic mind, I will go back to working on a painting in this style to get me back on track.

Circles Series. Goldsboro. 2009.

These are three paintings I did in early 2009. Each is 4' x 4' on Masonite with a wood backing frame.
 It had been a little over a year since I had final graduated from college(s) and had done very little art-wise during that time. I decided I wanted to paint again and I wanted to do something different from what I had previously done. That meant pure abstraction. I took three large paintings that I was less than pleased with and painted over them. They were political in nature. I wanted to move past that and explore new ideas. I did these in the spring of 2009 in the back of my comic shop. Doing these spurred me on to paint more and ushered in a wave of art making where I made over 60 paintings in about three months time. These are the paintings the launched me into becoming a painter and not just an artist who draws with paint.