Biography

I was instantly impressed with the tremendous courage of Hieronymus Bosch. What he painted, given the era he lived in, must not have been easy and for that that reason alone I was drawn to his work. Most notably the triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights blows me away to this day. He depicted the depravity and monstrous apparitions of hell in a way that certainly had never been done before (except maybe by Francisco de Goya‘s Saturn Devouring One Of His Sons. Its artistic leadership like that of Bosch (and Goya) which opened the door to the likes of H.R.Giger, whose bio-mechanical universe of work Ive studied since childhood.

Although Michelangelo Buonarroti is a defacto artist favorite I appreciate him specifically for his portrayal of the regal, benevolent God as this was in direct contrast to the Angry Christ philosophy Christiandom was promoting at the time. That level of raw talent coupled with the brazen stand against established ideas is what eternally drives me to aspire to Michelangelo.

Leonardo Da Vincis inventions and designs are as profound today as they must have been the day he put them to paper. Of all the old world masters his blend of mechanical symmetry with pure aesthetic was timeless. He will always be the patron saint of this artists dreams.

Impressionist master Claude Monets use of color teaches me so much about using so little to show what I want (visionary Syd Mead also comes to mind). With respect to contemporary fantasy oil paintings I have to mention Boris Vallejo. His body of work added dimension to my figure-drawing foundation and the hours of practice I spent emulating his pieces would prove invaluable throughout my life.

The perfect segway on my journey between paints and pen and ink work was Patrick Nagel. The way he implies everything with simple, clean lines is amazing and truly honors the Asian block printing techniques that inspired him.

In the pen and ink world I studied the precision work of John Byrne who’s classic X-Men, Fantastic Four and Superman illustrations guided me in how to draw the anatomy in motion. Alternatively Frank Miller introduced me to the chaotic splendor of grunge art. His take on Daredevil, Ronin and The Dark Knight are now legendary and a must-see for any fan of the genre.