There Are Still Beautiful Things

In my work, I seek to capture that feeling you get when you watch the sun rise, or look out over a hilltop, and the world is all laid before you. To me that is a hopeful feeling, full of possibility. I want to capture the essence of these spaces and their beauty, as they are often taken for granted, and we are losing them to development, misuse, and pollution. 

 

I paint using a technique called “open expressionism.” This technique employs rich colors and thick brush strokes, pieced together almost like stained glass. My aim is to capture the light and magnify the colors. For me, the main subject of my work is the color. While a photograph can remind us of a place, the color, shapes, and texture remind us of how it felt to be there, how we experienced it. 

 

In addition to being an artist, I am also an art teacher. It is my firm belief that art is for everyone, and I wanted to create a body of work that my students could relate to and enjoy, without having an extensive background, or understanding context. I wanted to create a series of paintings that anyone from here in San Antonio could connect with and enjoy. My hope is that when someone looks at my work, they can identify with it, and feel that it is for them. There are so many dark, ugly, and painful things about our world. I want the viewer to walk away believing there are still beautiful things.