I’m a painter exploring themes of identity and the complexities of modern life in oil, acrylic and mixed media.
I use recurring colours, motifs, symbols, and typography, which form my visual language. I combine abstract shapes with words, vintage ephemera, human forms, and pop-culture iconography.
Although my work is personal, I aim to give the viewer entry points into my thinking so that they can piece together something they find personally meaningful. I want to make images that are aesthetically pleasing but also challenging - unusual colour pairings, images, textures, and patterns.
I begin by gathering notes, sketches, and half-realized experiments percolating subconsciously, synthesizing themes. From a central concept, I use a stream-of-consciousness approach, expressing my thoughts with immediacy as the work takes shape. Images are layered, changed, destroyed, reworked. I enjoy the flow state of the process, intuitively combining divergent elements into a cohesive form.
_______________
A graduate from the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD University) in 1996, I received multiple awards and a scholarship for my work. Shortly before graduating, I became an entrepreneur and co-founded the Toronto-based design studio Jacknife, which has become one of Canada's most prolific brand agencies.
Additionally, I have worked as a design and illustration educator at OCAD University, teaching 4th Year Illustration Thesis, Pictorial Design, Illustration, Guerrilla Entrepreneurism, Graphic Design and Introduction to Art Direction.