Painting: Whether in my figurative painting or my still lifes, the goal is to create an abstract form of storytelling with images as simple and direct as children’s book illustrations, while at the same time being as mysterious as dreams. Clarity and Ambiguity: balancing both these elements is essential. And though my pictures often resemble and are indeed informed by traditional forms of illustration, the important distinction between Fine Art and Illustration is, I believe, in the intent. That is to say, I’m more interested in the emotional effect of an image than the specific narrative. It may look like a book illustration, but it is mostly in appearance. The thing  I’m looking to illustrate is my consciousness.

Writing:After painting pictures for most of my life, I figured writing a book would be fun. How long could it take? A year or two, maybe? It started as an illustrated children’s book, turned into a screenplay, and then (thanks to Laurel van der Linde and UCLA Extension Writers Program) a YA novel. I got it published, thank you Jacquelyn Mitchard (Merit Press / Simon & Schuster). And now… evidently, not remembering how long the first one took, I’ve gone and written another one. Stay tuned. xox