Artist Statement

My first experience with art was in kindergarten art class, and I have enjoyed it ever since.  I do not consider myself a "serious" artist, but art is great hobby for me.  It is a way for me to relax myself and let time fly by as I make my work.  I am an anxious person, so art is valuable because I let go of my worries for a while.  This is great because I find most of my ideas when I am not worried about anything.  My favorite thing to do in art is to play with colors.  I like to use oil and chalk pastels and blend different colors together to see how it comes out.  My experiments seldom end up as final pieces, but is more of a warm up so I can start to feel less self conscious.

If I were to guess, less than half of my work is on paper and the rest is in my head.  I spend a lot of time thinking and worrying about what I will do for my art pieces (or any other work).  I do not usually consciously brainstorm, but I will have my work in my mind as I go through each day.  Playing sports has the same effect on me as making art, so many of my ideas come when I am playing sports.  I have always enjoyed sports, so there is an area in the basement dedicated as my "sports area."  This is where I can hit or throw balls against the walls as hard as I want, and it somehow relieves my tension.  When I am angry, I can go hit balls in the sports area, and I will be fine again when I am done.  When I find myself frustrated in front of a blank paper, I take a small "sports break" to gather my thoughts.  I have a great memory when I want to (and sometimes when I don't), so this is far more effective than writing things down on paper.  Because my art is about calmness and focus, my process is way more important to me than my product.