I am a self-trained artist who began painting in my late twenties. After discovering my passion for painting, I made a commitment to becoming educated in art history and exploring various artistic styles. With the goals of sharing my work and connecting visually with others, I have shown my paintings nearly 30 times throughout the Bay Area.
I view my exploration of Expressionism, Cubism, Abstractionism, Mexican Muralism, Pop, and Folk as periods of learning and searching for my own voice. I feel my most recent work transcends mere mimicry by incorporating ideas of each of the aforementioned schools, and ultimately making it my own. There are still elements in my work that reflect certain influences, but there is no longer one that is dominant.
Neither is there is one definitive message, meaning, or theme running throughout my work. I do try to add color, humor and emotion to each piece and hopefully strike some universal chord in myself and with the viewer. In my more recent paintings I have moved towards simplifying the image and have often included the title in the picture itself in order to make the meaning as powerful as possible. Simultaneously has come an evolution of building texture on the canvas. Knives, rollers, pens, scissors, newsprint, sand, and pastel crayons are a few of the tools and materials I use to construct a richer texture in an attempt to give the painting more depth and life.
The one constant in my work has been my use of colors. A large palette of vibrant colors and careful color balance runs throughout my work from my very early pieces to the present. Although the compositions are often worked out in detail beforehand, the colors are almost never determined until I am in the process of painting. Finding the right colors and color balance is, to me, the great joy of painting.
Artist's Statement
Open Studios, Oakland 2023
Right Angle Salon, Oakland, 2014
Right Angle Salon, Oakland, 2013
Gecko Gecko Restaurant, Berkeley, 2012
Roos Cafe, Oakland, 2012
Right Angle Salon, Oakland, 2011
Right Angle Salon, Oakland, 2009
Joseph Cozza Salon I, San Francisco, 2009
Open Studios, Oakland, 2008
Right Angle Salon, Oakland, 2008
Seven Salon, Oakland, 2008
Joseph Cozza Salon II, San Francisco, 2007
Dublin Framing & Gallery, Dublin, 2007
Joseph Cozza Salon I, San Francisco, 2007
Rockridge Library, Oakland, 2006
Mneme Gallery, Vallejo, 2005
Luka’s Restaurant, Oakland, 2005
Foothill College, Los Altos, 2004
333 Bush Street, San Francisco, 2004
Previous Shows
The Jazz House, Berkeley, 2004
L’amxy Tea Bar, Oakland, 2003
Chow Restaurant, San Francisco, 2003
Papa Toby’s Art Cafe, San Francisco, 2002
Crocker Galleria, San Francisco, 2002
Catherine Finn Gallery, Tiburon, 2002
Liminal Gallery, Oakland, 2002
Shenla Asian Arts, San Francisco, 2002
Park Chow Restaurant, San Francisco, 2002
San Francisco Open Studios, 2001
17th Street Gallery, San Francisco, 2000
Spike Design Gallery, San Francisco, 2000
Columbus Office Building Gallery, San Francisco, 2000
Chow Restaurant, San Francisco, 2000
Park Chow Restaurant, San Francisco, 2000
Triton Hotel, San Francisco, 1999
Four Walls Gallery, San Francisco, 1999
Milatano Gallery, San Francisco, 1999
Fruitful Grounds Café, San Francisco, 1999
Blue Danube Café, San Francisco, 1999
Flying Fish Restaurant, Chicago, 1998
Oakside Café, San Francisco, 1998
Open Closet Gallery, San Francisco, 1998
Firewood Restaurant, San Francisco, 1998
Fruitful Grounds Café, San Francisco, 1998
Mr. Ralph’s Restaurant, San Francisco, 1997
Tenderloin Group Art Show, San Francisco, 1997
Student Group Show Fort Mason, San Francisco, 1996
Baker Street Bistro, San Francisco, 1995
Crepes on Cole, San Francisco, 1995
Black Mud Café, San Francisco, 1995
Dog Ear Café, San Francisco, 1994
Footworks Dance Studio Gallery, 1994
Blue Dog Coffee Shop, San Francisco, 1994
Muddy Waters Café, San Francisco, 1993