I started fooling around with oil paints in 2022. I had just quit my full-time job as a corporate video editor and it was about time for me to learn this skill I’d always been drawn to.
Oil paintings have such a calming matter-of-factness to them. They’re moody and creamy and deep. I love the rich look they have and every time I look into one I’m brought to the moment; newly inspired. That’s the type of art I want to make!
I had a few images in my head that made for a good kicking off point in my oil-painting journey. Starting off with a big moody house cloaked in black cats, my first oil was based on a real suburban house I’d pass on my daily walks during that period. It always brought me sincere joy to see all of these identical black cats co-existing/playing/napping at this one residence. Did they all live there? Was it just the place to hang? Were they related? Who knows? but I had to paint them.
There began my little fixation on "painting cats in places.”
In short, I paint what I see. I paint what brings me a moment of peace. Stray cats just do it for me.
I’m a learning artist for sure. Don’t get me wrong, I know we all are… but I really am. I use a lot of reference material to bring an image from my head into reality. I very much need it! (and that’s FINE)
And if not just an idea, sometimes a gorgeous photo will call out to me - already stunning in its own right - but asking to be reinterpreted in pigmented oil; a great way to develop my skills.
“Arcangelo” (immediate right) is arguably my most successful oil painting. It’s entirely based on a beautiful reference photo from my friend Nick Vargas.
This is the painting that has market attendees coming up to my table and saying hi to my art before they say hi to me. They say “aww” and "coochie coochie coo."
I think that’s both weird and great!
Not always cats!
I have an affection for all living things. I’m open to painting just about anything that feels right… it just turns out that, for now, that mostly includes plants and animals. I think along with being present, what I seek to capture in my paintings is innocence. What these dumb little guys all have in common, is that they are minding their business. Their heads may be empty, but they are sweet. Take a moment and live through the eyes of my subjects. It’s a stress relief.