It all begins with light
What inspires me most is the way light interacts with the world, whether it’s sunlight filtering through leaves, shadows stretching across grass, or the sparkle of glass or silver caught in a beam through a window. My creative process begins with capturing that light. I use a camera to freeze these moments so I can preserve and reference the lighting as I draw.
From Life to Canvas
From there, I begin sketching freehand with graphite directly onto the final drawing surface. This allows me to refine the composition as I go, making adjustments where needed. I often create small value and color studies to explore possibilities before laying down color.
Though I use reference photos, I prefer to work from life as much as possible, placing each object in front of me in the studio so I can study its color and form firsthand. The photographs serve mainly to retain the original lighting and shadows
In Every Inch, a Story
I work with seven different brands of dry colored pencils, each selected for its unique strengths. I draw on white vellum bristol or museum board, both of which allow me to bring out the richness and depth of each color. Colored pencil is a slow and precise medium. The more layers I build, the more lifelike the result, and on average, a finished piece takes about one hour per square inch.
Precision and Patience
I work five to ten hours a day, and most of my paintings take about three months to complete. Once finished, each artwork is professionally scanned, and fine art prints are produced using archival inks on archival paper, the highest quality prints available, designed to last for generations.