Art Portfolio

Showcased below are select art pieces I've found to exemplify my style and interests as an artist as well as values and passions as an individual; namely my adoration for the natural world and my belief that in the study thereof we will discover the most significant and wonderful truths about the world, allowing us to forge a sound path for it's future.

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"The Ecologist's Case"

Among the works of art for which I feel the greatest pride, "The Ecologist's Case" stands head and shoulders above the rest. It all began with the antique wooden case along with the countless insatiable fragments of imagination constantly inspiring me to examine finest details around us, and then to create something showcasing the extraordinary and often overlooked aspects of a world in miniature. These details, each wonderful and intriguing to even the most entangled or latent imagination not only exemplify the crux of human creation, but exude an air of the integral place of nature in achieving such a thing. Featuring minute botanical illustrations, reclaimed/found objects, tiny herbarium files, clusters of collected seashells, and even a minuscule live terrarium, this piece is not only meant to encourage the viewer to examine the world for each expressive and fascinating detail, but also is one of the pieces which most deeply resonates with me and has been one of my most rewarding artistic undertakings. I am pleased to say that this piece was selected for and exhibited in the "Art in Three Dimensions - 2024 Juried Art Show."

"An Age of Green"

"An Age of Green" is one of many works of art I've created based on my unfaltering love of plants and nature as a whole. This piece, utilizing alcohol based brush pens, gel pen and ink specifically depicts the rocky and lush coast of the Northwestern USA, a region of the country I have particular connection to and interest in the ecology thereof, having lived near the Oregon coast for several years and having family roots present reaching back within the indigenous tribes of the area, prior to the settlement of North America by Europeans. Most significant and intriguing to me within the piece are the Western Hemlock Tsuga heterophylla trees clinging to the sun-bleached stones and rising from the lush cushions of moss and ferns (not to mention one of my most beloved native wildflowers of the Northwest; Western Trillium Trillium ovatum). Hemlock trees have always been one of my favorite, whether it be due to their strong and striated bark, their soft and astonishingly scented foliage, or perhaps their remarkable patience and reliance on one another for their health and ecological success; requiring the soft humus or rotting fallen trunks of older trees and ample shade and humidity provided by the forest canopy in order to cultivate seedlings into gargantuan natural sentinels over centuries, ever providing a habitat for countless creatures to thrive, and beauty for us humans to admire. I am honored to have had this illustration shown at the 2023 Congressional Art Competition at Union College.

Assorted Tarot Inspired Illustrations

Inspired by a close friend's effort to illustrate a complete series of tarot cards, I've enjoyed experimenting with a number of mediums to create the pieces shown to the left based on several cards in a traditional deck, as well as their typical meanings. It is always a wonderful thing to discover the unimaginable number possibilities present within even a few square inches of paper and discover what wonderful things can be created through the transferring of ideas from the mind through the pen or brush. Throughout the past year (2024) I've enjoyed often revisiting this project and creating these lovely little illustrations able to so delightfully encompass various meanings, feelings and artistic aesthetics through the various techniques utilized.

Details:

Top Left: "The Four of Wands" - Medium(s): Ink
Top Center: "The Tower" - Medium(s): Alcohol Based Brush Pen, Gel Pen and Ink
Top Right: "The Ace of Cups" - Medium(s): Ink
Bottom Left: "The Nine of Cups" - Ink and Watercolor
Bottom Center: "The Six of Swords" - Ink
Bottom Right: "The Seven of Cups" - Flower Pressings, Ink and Watercolor

Flower-Pressing Stegosaurus

As an avid lover of flower pressing (and herbarium), I inevitably come across certain plant specimen unfit for display alone, whether it be due to breakage, discoloration, or some other botanical tragedy. Fortunately, these fragments of flora don't need to be thrown away, for they can create wonderful little pieces of art in stead, such as the colorful stegosaurus to the right, by simply utilizing the fascinating shapes, colors, and textures found within every different variety of plant spanning the surface of our vast and wonderful world. The varieties of flowers included in this piece include but are not limited to Allium sp., Bellium minutum, Dendrobium x "Thongchai Gold 'Splash,'" Chamaedahne calyculata and Convallaria majalis.

Assorted Ink Illustrations

Of every artistic medium I've had the pleasure of using, few bring me as much joy as ink. Having been one of my earliest mediums of choice, I've had a number of years to hone my skill with it, and constantly find myself searching for new ways in which to challenge myself to develop new techniques within the realm of ink illustration. The images to the left include primarily drawings based on prompts for the annual ink-work challenge known as "Inktober," interspersed with other similar compositions.

Details:

Top Left: "Inktober" Prompt: "Scurry"
Top Center: "Inktober" Prompt: "Bouquet"
Top Right: "Inktober" Prompt: "Map"
Middle Left: "Inktober" Prompt: "Bat"
Middle Upper Center: "Inktober" Prompt: "Spiders"
Middle Lower Center: "Inktober" Prompt: "Flame"
Bottom Left: "Inktober" Prompt: "Salty"
Bottom Center: Celtic Knot Inspired Illustration
Bottom Right: "Inktober" Prompt: "Scallop"

"Acorn in Mixed Textile"

Though fabric, textiles and yarn are not my typically favored medium, I have learned a great deal about this variety of work throughout the course of this project, as well as have developed a vast sum of respect for those more versed in this art form. Each stitch, connecting the numerous fragments of once-discarded fabric and collections of various found objects, such as ribbons, jewelry, bells, lace, and more remind one of the great effort one employed to provide us with all we have. Furthermore, the creation of an acorn, a seed bursting with opportunity and ample resources for growth, from the scraps of once-discarded media speaks to the fact that our society so thoughtlessly abandons countless forms of waste which we could instead use to create both useful and beautiful things, as well as to defend our environment from the tragedy's plaguing our planet, from pollution and global warming to poverty and poaching. It is through much of my art that I will to demonstrate the wonders of nature, and display how we may maintain it for its good as well as our own.

"Stack of Stuff"

Through a study of patterns, artistic detail and human invention, this piece is intended to showcase the juxtaposition of that which we humans create, and that which we discard, especially considering that they are often the same sorts of things. Throughout human history, there as been a trend of consumerism based in what is considered new, fashionable, or exciting, though never has it been more pronounced than how it's been in the past century. With each new fad, feeling, or shift of cultural ideology, countless items are created, while others are thoughtlessly discarded, to waste away in isolation and to drain our world of perfectly good and useful items. I've always loved finding things, and more importantly, finding a purpose for things, whether it be using an old teapot as a garden planter or a once-discarded vase as a lovely little pencil holder. What I see to the left, is not in fact simply a pile of trash to be ignored, hidden, or thrown, perhaps, a little farther away to avoid facing the extent of our wastefulness, but rather a vast stack of opportunities. I see not only what failures and losses are present, but the countless ways in which to repurpose or revive old objects for use I modern times, for why would we needlessly abandon things that still posses the capacity to aid us in life, and replace them unthinkingly with new possessions, soon to be cast away in the same manner as the old ones, following an identical and equally unpleasant pattern, further intrenching us in this cycle with only takes a few discerning eyes and a stray fragment of follow-through to break.

"Bunchberry"

Yet another ink illustration, this botanically accurate depiction of Bunchberry doesn't cease to bring me joy and inspiration, something I constantly find in nature. Iv'e selected Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) for this piece due to its constant ability to bring me excitement and satisfaction when I find it our in the wild, or even when in blooms within my own plant collection. Bunchberry, despite appearing to me a mere minute shrub (rarely exceeding six inches in height) is in fact a member of the Dogwood genus, and is, therefore, technically a tree. In addition to its adorable size, Bunchberry provides wonderful, pure white flowers and perfect red berries (which are, in fact, a wonderful little snack for while one is out hiking). Even beyond this, however, one of my favorite aspects of this diminutive little tree is its affinity for the creation of patterns, particularly among its leafing patterns, which appear in perfect whorls of four, besides when a stem flowers, in which case it will include six lovely leaves, each stunningly veined in their own delightful pattern. It never ceases to amaze me that even the smallest little being within a forest has such an incredible capacity for beauty and creation. I make it my mission each time I step into nature to find as many fascinating natural details as I may, and if possible, discover all I can about every last one, developing a vast picture of the world from the observation of such tiny beings.

Reimagined Playing Card

One of my favorite tasks as an artist if the effort to create wonderful things within a tiny space, demonstrating all that can be created in even the most unlikely of places. This playing card, the king of hearts, demonstrates not only techniques of acrylic paining on the smallest scale, but also shows something rather close to my own heart, the unfathomable marvels and power of endurance found always within the natural world. Even the most powerful and resistant of human constructions can never hope to entirely stem the growth and succession of nature, the gentler and yet in many ways, stronger force of nature. Meant to depict varieties of mosses, tussocks, delphinium, spruces, firs, and daisies, this piece specifically shows a vast construction of humankind being slowly reclaimed by the forest over time, and in the process demonstrating the persistence and inherent hope of nature, something which we must also hope will persist, something which I personally wish to encourage in every possible way throughout the course of my life. It is, however, imperative that we do not simply 'hope' that the natural world will safely survive, we must actively pursue an effort to ensure a future for the expansive and inspiring natural world, for it's unsafe to gamble with such things.

Assorted Wildlife Graphite Sketches

Though a great deal of my art tends to consist of long-term projects, taking countless hours to complete and relying on a great deal of highly specific efforts, the graphite sketches to the right instead are more simplistic, quick, nature inspired sketches capable of bringing just as much satisfaction as any other piece.

Details:

Top Left: Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Top Right: Field Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus
Bottom Left: Assorted branches and leaves
Bottom Right: Assorted fruits and herbs
Center: Venus Flytrap Dionaea muscipula

Assorted Botanical Illustrations

These botanical illustrations, testaments to the variable and fascinating wonder of nature are some of the very first botanical illustrations I've ever attempted, a style of art which I've practiced rather constantly since. Using simple ink as a medium, this piece showcases a variety of species of both plants and fungi, as well as even types of seeds or seed-pods thereof.

Plants and Fungi Included:

White Oak (Acorn) Quercus alba
Foxglove Digitalis purpurea
Lady's Slipper Cypripedium acaule
Amanita Fly Agaric Mushroom Amanita muscaria
Buttercup Ranunculus fascicularis
Carnation Dianthus caryophyllus
Cinnamon Fern Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
Morel Mushroom Morchella esculenta
Crocus Crocus sativus
Juniper Cone Juniperus sp.
Lily of the Valley Convallaria majalis
Crabgrass Digitaria sanguinalis
Common Clover Trifolium repens

"Black Dodge Bonsai" Logo

Inspired by the "Inktober" ink challenge, and based in the prompt "Dodge" I had the lovely idea of creating an illustration based on the bonsai business of a dear friend and mentor of mine, the proprietor of "Black Dodge Bonsai." I designed this piece based primarily on the vintage "Dodge" vehicle depicted to the right, though was sure to include an ode to the art of bonsai, specifically the dwarfed and meticulously branching variety of native maple growing atop the truck, not to mention the growth of moss, clovers, and various ferns filling the many nooks of the vehicle (as well as the small snail upon he mirror). Upon showing this drawing to the owner of "Black Dodge Bonsai," I was asked if this illustration could be used as a logo for his business, something I have gladly and proudly consented to, considering its sentimentality to me and its connection to the art of bonsai, one of the most significant drivers of my passion for art, science, and nature. Similarly to many of my other pieces, this illustration works to demonstrate the magnificent resilience of nature and its remarkable ability to teach us lessons of unending effort and constant growth, as well as the adaptability that would lead to find a way to thrive in any place, from a vast forest to the top of a headlight.