My style is figuration in the "magical realism” category. An emerging subcategory of Peter Doig, Neo Rauch, Daniel Richter, or John Currin if I may be so bold. These are some of my heroes. I could only be so lucky to be associated with them through my own admirations at this mark.

I believe an artist first needs a concept with substance. The artist should go down a rabbit hole to develop their own narrative. But shortly thereafter, the artist needs technique. And the artist needs to control their presence by being aware of supply and demand. Making 8 to 15 really solid pieces in one calendar year is far more beneficial than 60-plus. No prints.

I work with a range of ultra-thin and ultra-thick oil paint. Sculptures, as well. I implement imprimatura and classical techniques to establish the ground that I'm working on. But the final painting ought to be contemporary.

A majority of my process is extremely rehearsed. I know exactly what I'm going to attempt to do on 50% - 90% of the piece. But the remaining 10% - 50% is not predefined. Discovery happens on the canvas. I believe both are important in order to maintain a painterly quality.

Currently, I'm honing on the Sears Catalog as a microcosm of life. I'm applying the chronology of Sears as an analogy to the Amazon era and making it a contemporary display about our life. I will move on from the Sears analogy to hyper-focus on other microcosms in the future.

I want to make art about moments in time. My art should make the viewer feel a lasting emotion. If the viewer can’t tie the art back to an emotion, then there’s no art worth talking about.

While I am represented by an art gallery and have held two solo shows, I do not consider myself a full-fledged “artist” yet. I consider myself an “art appreciator”. I feel an MFA is required to bring my art practice to new places.

This portfolio that consists of paintings and conceptual sculptures is based on one narrative-- “Sears Catalog is to Life as Amazon is to Today”. In this portfolio, I select reference photos from Sears Catalogs to demonstrate how they are a microcosm of life in the Amazon era. Isolating themes in the Sears Catalogs allows me to grapple with subjects such as cultural stereotypes, progressive feminism, race, and anything I wish to hone in on.

Largely, my paintings are a contemporary view on life. I want the viewer to feel a deep emotion when they see my work. I will continue to explore these microcosms. By telling these stories, I want to be a part of the lucky few generational painters who’s work will be coveted by museums 200 years to come. I’m aware of moments in time like the Freud/Bacon retrospective at the Venice Biennale. I realize 30% of recent museum features came from only 5 mega galleries.

I want to be a part of this system and an MFA will be the stepping stone I need in my attempt to get there. But I must say that I am not caught up in glory. I am not in it for the potential fame or fortune.

I came back to art as the love of my life because I couldn’t keep it out. When I made a multi-year decision to stop dating because I wanted to spend quality time painting, that’s when I knew. When I didn’t want to be drinking beer on Friday night with my buddies and instead reworking an underpainting so it could dry by Sunday, that’s when I knew. When I started to explore oil painting techniques in a similar methodical way that Edison used to test the light bulb, that’s when I knew. I knew it had to be art.

I dropped my love for art early on in life, however. I went for a predictable route in finance. I built an 11-year career in the propriety trading industry. Even while working, I would go back to art and average 3 hours of art research per week. And I did more than just frequent the Chicago Art Institute and spectate the Monet Haystacks. I would buy 4 art books on Munch and 2 art books on Doig and avidly study their two approaches. I would watch interview after interview of Bacon, Saville, Rauch, and any artist I could get video content on.

In Fall 2018, I quit my job as a hybrid trader and software developer without another job in hand. I was on a non-compete agreement and I knew my firm would hold me to it. Rather than immediately go to a new firm and fight the non-compete, I sat out so I could explore new pursuits. During my non-compete, I split my time between a masters in computer science and art. I wanted to see if I could follow through with the things I love, that challenged me in creative ways.

I started off by making charcoal drawings. My sister and I would meet on the second floor of the Lincoln Park Whole Foods to make charcoal studies. A passionate collector saw those studies and invited me to his home to commission me to make some paintings. I was weary, but he welcomed me to his 4-level brownstone filled with Charles White, Banksy, and Hebru Brantley. He was creating 21 Grams Gallery. He wanted me to be a part of the gallery he was building. He has been representing my work including two solo shows and group shows. So far, it has been an honor.

I am currently applying to MFA programs. I genuinely value the opportunity to explore art in an MFA curriculum and it is the realistic next step to move forward in my art career. Thank you for your review.

When I hear the word “diversity”, I approach it as “diversity of thought”. I’m a 31-year old white male. One may look at me and think I could not be on a poster representing diversity. While that may be true, I am applying to the Masters in Fine Arts program— a program where it is encouraged to explore the world’s most diverse thoughts via creative avenues.

I am an art appreciator working to become a full-fledged artist. I don’t want to be a direct representation of racism or feminism with my art but I want to include these themes as a substantive, allied extension. A portion of my studio practice aims to explore these themes from the appropriate perspective that I’m capable of.

My portfolio submission consists of paintings and conceptual sculptures framed around one narrative— “Sears Catalog is to Life as Amazon is to Today”. In this portfolio, I select reference photos from Sears Catalogs to demonstrate how they are a microcosm of life in the Amazon era. Isolating themes in the Sears Catalogs allows me to grapple with subjects such as cultural stereotypes, progressive feminism, race, and anything I wish to hone in on.

To show support for diversity, I created an art destruction project. I partnered with After School Matters, a Chicago-based extra-curricular program that provides Chicago teens the opportunity to explore their passions and develop their talents through world-class after-school and summer programs. I called the project my “Destruction Series”. It was inspired by world-renowned artists who, at one point in their careers, completely destroyed their art.

I had a third solo show scheduled for February 2021 which did not come to fruition due to Covid. So, I created my own initiative to create an art performance piece in which I destroyed all but one of these paintings that would have been shown in this unfulfilled show. I kept the best painting and photographed the burning of 6 other pieces. I hosted a charity auction in June 2021 with the painting and the 6 black-and-white photos as a second offering. These two offerings generated $10,534 which I donated 100% of the proceeds to After School Matters.