The Garden of Eli is an exploration of my memories, desires, and fears.

I’ve noticed that I gravitate to the idea of community; the community I’m supposed to be a part of and the community that I have. In much of my work, you’ll see groups: cows, swans, deer – the human figure not always being a part of the group, but when he is, there is still a sense of estrangement. Isolation even when you have company. This idea of what you’re meant to be or do – combined with the natural world – is an important intersection.

As I paint, I don’t force myself to know what everything means, but once I’m finished, I look back and see what themes emerged. I invite you as the viewer to do the same; this was my painting, but it becomes something else each time someone new looks at it. 

My most successful paintings are those where I give myself enough mystery to discover through the process. Like, as I was making my swan painting, I realized swans are a symbol of purity; this changed the whole meaning, and it became something more personal. 

The garden I mentioned before is a reference to specific people in my work, as well as ideas of people and the ways that they changed my perceptions of the world. As Eli gains new experiences, good or bad, this will shape the garden he grows. In essence, my art becomes a living garden, nourished by the richness of human experience and constantly evolving with each new story it tells.