Laguna College of Art + Design

Through my study of landscape and portraiture I have found that there are many ways of interpreting and composing a representation of the world. This body of work represents earthquakes and disasters with the knowledge that I have gained from my studies of nature. I want to create exciting images of life, something that will capture a viewer’s senses. I have found that what is very exciting about painting is not the subject matter, but the way the artist utilizes the tools that they have to tell a story. There are millions of techniques and ways to apply paint to elicit a reaction from someone. Since these paintings are about disasters, this is a subject that naturally makes people feel afraid, scared, or uneasy. Regarding people’s reactions, I feel that I need to paint these disasters as though they are full of life and vitality. I hope that the imagery and representation of the imagery creates a pleasing story in itself, something that ignites a sense of adventure and existence.

Of all the sciences and stories that I have studied while doing research for these paintings, I have found that my best resources are nature and observation. My instructors, family, and peers have aided me, but most of my studies have been best spent researching drawing, art history, and painting. Some of the stories that inspire me are from the Bible, for example, the book of Revelation. Through the readings of the Bible I feel that I can reach themes that abound in mortality, life and death, and our existence. Exploring the natural environment can lead to finding great examples of beauty, but this also provides great avenues of expression that I hope to capture in my paintings.