Working primarily in animation and digital drawing I am interested in escapist storytelling as it relates to fantasy, the supernatural and the absurd. I investigate the significance of one’s memories and dreams in relation to popular culture, children’s media and experimental storytelling. Themes often consist of forgotten lands inhabited by lost souls who see fractured visions of the past, present and future.
I am endlessly inspired and curious about humanities appetite for pageantry, symbolism, and status. Visually I explore punchy and garish systems of color in worlds filled with highly desirable ornate objects of little monetary value. Characters are anthropomorphic and often monstrous in appearance. Familiar spirits often populate peripherals guiding viewers in song or narration. Antagonists and protagonists struggle to find a sense of identity and place within their lost lands. Using fantastical characters, I subtly blur the line between predator and prey in a haunting beauty.
I grew up in the rural American west and was surrounded by sublime landscapes inhabited by very few people. Most of my narratives are imagined from a place of solace. As a youth I was naturally curious about the busy world on the outside. My portal to contemporary visual culture was through television and magazine media. I sprinkle misplaced and out of context references to popular culture throughout my work. I imagine a point of view from an outsider youth, looking for a way in to the world.I attempt to reconstruct my memories and investigate the significance of childhood imagination in relation to desolate and culturally isolated regions.
Experimental forms of storytelling are of great importance to me. If it weren’t for artists seeking to shatter conventions in content and form, stories would perhaps lose their impact within human social systems. The moving image and new forms of technology are my preferred tools for telling stories. Fixed linear narratives are often my mode of delivery, however I am currently exploring new technologies and am interested in immersive interactive environments.