Genius is not achieved alone; rather it is based upon the wisdom of the masters, for without the greats there is no understanding, only a stagnant pool of unsubstantiated ideas relayed in a meaningless message. I endeavor to achieve insight and relay that message through art as what we see before us is often but an illusion.



My work is about things seemingly unessential - truth, justice, wisdom, and human experience and inspired by Jean Dubuffet who stated: “I would like people to see my work as a rehabilitation of scorned values and, in any case, a work of ardent celebration.”



Abstract art is an expression of things so silent within the soul one cannot voice them without volumes of journals written over a lifetime. Through my work, I honor my ancestors’ lives, teachings, and historical accounts as told mostly by my grandparents and my mother for it is within the silenced souls of yesterday our history is remembered and thus shapes our future. Their stories have become my dream, and thus my gift for as my mother said: To dream is to live. May she dream for all eternity.



I heed Paul Gauguin’s advice when he said, “It is the obligation of the artist to create, not to imitate.”



I am inspired by many: de Vinci for his softness and depth of perception, his technique. Michaelangelo for his ability to bring physical form from elements of the earth as well the masculine quality of his work. Goya’s Dark Period for the torment he recognized in society and his imagery that lies seemingly within nothing. Monet for his pallet, diffusion, and depth. Gauguin’s passion and use of color, his purpose to create a new world through art. Van Gogh’s movement and artistic purpose. Rothko’s minimalism. Turner for his visions and influence on others though largely unrecognized. Of contemporary artists, I admire most Ruth Bernhard, Phyllis Kapp, Valerie Estvan, Richard Scott, Thinh Nguyen, Maciej Gador, Gib Singleton, Wolf Kahn, Dick Williams, and Tomas Hrivnac for their great talent and originality.