How did you get into making art?
For as long as I can remember I’ve been an artist. In art university, however, I lost myself. I changed my focus, moving towards tech, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever pick up a pencil or brush again. Then a little more than a year ago, not long after graduating, I was looking at the Instagrams of some of my old classmates. Their work was great. They were getting shows, and all of a sudden I saw myself on my deathbed, looking back at my life. I didn’t like where I was headed, and I knew at that moment it would be the greatest regret of my life if I didn’t pursue art. Everything else would be pointless. That same night I sat down and started the 365 series with the goal of starting and never stopping the engine again. That also led to my decision to work anonymously under a pseudonym to create authentically without constraint.
What are you currently working on?
After finishing the 365 series (with day 365, “Asteroid in the Deep” being the first large scale piece in oil), I made the jump and fully started painting. Now I’m working on a series of oil paintings as an evolution from the imagery of my 365 series, all exploring nostalgia, home, my subconscious, fears, passions, identity, etc, through several recurring motifs that I find to be fascinating imagery.
What inspired you to get started on this body of work?
Moving to painting felt like the natural next step in my journey as an artist. Prior to going into art school it was my primary medium, and moving back to it feels like I’ve finally found myself again.
Do you work on distinct projects or do you take a broader approach to your practice?
Kind of a mix of both. I have several distinct projects that I work on, each exploring some imagery, concept, composition, or something else I find fascinating. It’s not intentional that they combine together in projects, it just feels right as I work out the imagery and create variations.
What’s a typical day like in your studio?
So I built my studio from the ground up. Since it’s outdoors I run into the problem of insects finding their way inside under the door or through seemingly invisible cracks. So, the first thing I do is usually brush out the spiders and bees that find their way inside. After that it is just sitting down and painting into the night.
Who are your favorite artists?
Christian Rex van Minnen
Julius Hofmann
Ian Ingram
Sara Birns
Andrea Heimer
Marc Librizzi
Shawn Huckins (who I discovered among the other finalists)
Younguk Yi
Kouta Sasai
Phil Hale
And so many others that this list could go on forever. There are so many brilliant artists out there that it is really quite mind boggling.
Where do you go to discover new artists?
I really can’t say one specific channel. Museums, gallerys, Instagram.
