The one thing that I can remember growing up is art being a massive influence on my life. My fascination with art and creating has a lot to do with understanding our relationship with identity in space. The idea of painting the world as you see it and imagine it, a place where you can make abstract and adjective ideas real, is a gift not only in creating a blueprint to life but an area that is my own.
My first piece of art work.
I don’t actually remember doing this piece as I was so young but, the piece was kept. I remember the piece hanging above the family desk up until I took it down for safekeeping.
Another one of my earliest pieces, also one of my favorites.
Spit growing up and childhood toys and items being lost art was the one thing that I was seemingly able to not only hold onto but something that has stayed with me to this day.
These are some examples of other earlier pieces of art. The first multi-colored piece that says water was a class project in the 5th grade. The other piece of art from my elementary days includes the clay pots done in charcoal. The piece that has Celtic knots was made in 9th grade World History class. The landscape picture was made during my Junior year of High School. The abstract pieces were made as random doodles outside of class.
Inspiration comes from all places.
As a huge fan of the rock n’ roll band The Beatles, I, too, was a fan of the late artist Stuart Sutcliff. The young former Beatle left an impact on the artistic world and inspired artists of all times. I was so impressed by Stuart’s work that this was my own interpretation.
John Lennon in “How I Won the War.”
Original a photo from the cover of the movie “How I Won the War,” I had the opportunity to recreate it reimagined with tiny dots my junior year of high school. Taking a blue ribbon at the art show, I knew I wanted to follow art and learn new expression methods.
The pictures listed below depicting various studies in the art of still life and an exercise of drawing the human hand. In my Junior year of school, we were tasked with drawing the human hand. in my senior year, I opted to make a still peace and drew one of my model tanks instead. The violin head was never finished and remained as is.
Growing up, I fell in love with the comics in the newspaper every day so much that I wanted to create my own stories. Later I would find out this was called fan fiction. Seeing the love for Donald duck and his many alternate adventures as a pipe fitter in the refinery, I started redrawing many of my favorite comics.
The young and romantic life of Stuart Sutcliff furthered my love of art and music. The art produced by Mr. Sutcliff reminded me a great deal of Jackson Pollock, another of my favorite artists.
Winter is always so cold
I wanted to work with oil paints in hopes of creating some amazing pictures. Understanding color is still an issue, and breaking out of the black and white motif has always been a struggle. Working with oils that didn’t quite dry as quick as other paintings was a real challenge as well
Beyond the visual spectrum
The music and the art
This was my studio for a while. The room was amazing. I was able to have my art up on display along with having my instruments out. Beyond the visual spectrum, music saved my life in so many ways and remains one of my top ways of expressing and explains feelings, ideas, and much more.
Growing up I wanted nothing more then to be one of the Beatles. Owning guitars and a fur coat with round glasses was the closest I got to living out that dream. Having the instruments to play unique Beatles sounds was a dream all it’s own come true.
The Beatles were second to none.
By the time I was old enough to know who the Beatles were, they were already a thing of the past, but it was the greatest sound ever for one die-hard fan.
The Beatles were and remained the greatest sound I have ever come to know. Picking a favorite Beatle is near impossible, but John Lennon wins out by far. I collected several guitars just like John Lennon used in his music endeavors and George Harrison and Paul McCartney. When the music finally stopped, and my guitar cases opened less and less, I eventually sold all my instruments with the expectation of my black and white Rickenbacker. I decided that just having a Rickenbacker guitar is novel in the first place, but being able to own one like John Lennon is quite another thing. In the end, I gave it to a friend who became more like my little sister to me. I hoped that, if anything, it would make a rock star even for a moment. I keep the little Gibson as it is a family air loom. I also keep my Gibson J160E as you never know when you want to break out the jams. The J160E remains the best guitar I have ever played. Songs like I Live for You and All Things must pass are brilliantly played on this one guitar.
The sound of JAZZ
There was no way of describing the feeling and magic of passing the time while playing the melodic sounds of jazz with amazing people.
Music wouldn’t be possible without amazing Teachers
I loved playing the bass, but learning new things and new techniques didn’t always come easy.
When coffee is
Life
The life and times of a drip
Coffee isn’t just bean juice that is squeezed into a cup with milk and cream. No, Coffee is an experience all on its own. Ironically enough, Starbucks is a major player in my life and really the world. Known at several iconic Starbucks worldwide, a guy with a Cat hat is hard to forget. Coffee is such a major player in my life and themes that run through it that I have a whole page dedicated to my love for coffee.
A cup of coffee is enough to make the world’s problems disappear
One of the amazing enjoyments I get out of life is enjoying a cup of coffee and watch the day pass by.
Even in France I had my Starbucks.
Having coffee with life is the only way to have it. I was enjoying Starbucks before getting on the bullet train and heading south to Avignon
Across the pond at Starbucks in Tokyo.
Tokyo was the first place I felt I was home. With amazing coffee, anime, culture, and an endless supply of sushi, why would anyone want to leave?
Greece in America.
Talk about something being out of place. The Parthenon in Tennessee is quite the sight for sure. I was super fortunate to not only have traveled the world, but I got to travel the U.S. and many of it’s attractions. Check out all my adventures in the U.S.
To make art you must first become art
This is the first art show I did showcasing the projects that I had been working on for so long. I couldn’t have been happier and excited to bring the next serious of art out.
Days leading up to the show.
For more on this show and the content shown click on the link below the story of Meaning Within Meaning.
One thing I love about the tangible world is that by using physical objectives and various images, multiple ideas can be combined representing even more significant and in-depth ideas and concepts than what we get from just the surface of individuals. These pictures were a collection of many ideas I had come to know and love at one point: beauty, history, engineering, music, and models. Although I couldn't keep everything due to space issues, I was able to capture the ideas in photography.
There was a time when I went to the oil field and this was my first hard hat.
I have a fondness for history and its many facets. Many people mistake me for something I am not—trying to label me if you will. The problem is that people often try to judge me with their limited knowledge and expectations based on their understanding of the world and their place in it. The critical takeaway is to make yourself more aware and in-tune with what's happening in the world and your place in it, let alone make you a better person altogether.
Life often takes us to places we never thought of going and when least expect we are right were we were always meant to be.
From Paris in 2013 to Tokyo in 2019 the journey in between has been incredible. That is not without saying that there has been both ups and downs. Everything though has combined to make me the person I am today. At various times I thought about going back in time and changing life, but what I concluded was that just because I went back in time didn’t mean that anything would change. Spite knowing the events, that didn’t mean I would be able to change things, and at what cost. After seeing the movie Spider man No way home, I realize that it’s better to leave things as they are. The risk is that instead you may end up losing everything. I take solace in the fact that I have given life my everything that I have put my heart into. Now, as I begin the next big chapter in my life I eagerly await whats next.
Like I said, the bravest thing you can do is be yourself, although true, you must also find your own unique style. In a world where everyone is following the school of swimming fish we must break free and follow our own course. By setting out on our own and following our dreams we often follow this path alone, but it should not detour us from setting out in the first place for fear of missing out on true greatness. I do not wish to make less of the paths that others have taken, but those are not mine.