Laguna College of Art + Design

The scenes in my surrealist paintings are derived from literature, movies, past

experiences, and places that I visited, dreamt of, and imagined. I seek to paint interiors and

landscapes that will evoke a sense of déjà vu in my audience. My works elicit the light and

mood of seemingly familiar architectural and natural spaces, even if a viewer has never seen

them or they don’t actually exist. I am fascinated by the natural environment, clouds, and

changes in climate. I combine real things such as a window or a desert scene from my past

experiences with unreal natural events like a choreographed lightning storm. To represent

shifts in light, I carefully control the color temperature to make the image look more neutral

and to arouse subtle associations in viewers. I paint soft materials, like bed sheets and

curtains, to make the spaces feel comfortable, even if the weather or scene is disquieting in

other ways. Solid objects such as arched walls balance and unify the images. The paintings

hold psychological power for me and in some cases reflect on various states of life. I think of

the characters, landscapes, and still-life elements in my paintings as clues to open infinite

possibilities. Romance and nostalgia are the sensations I intend to imply in each painting.

However, I prefer my audience develops their own stories about the paintings’ meaning. I

remind myself, and hopefully them, to be touched by what we encounter.