As a self-employed graphic designer, I spend a lot of time in front of the computer. But the older I grow, the more I yearn to work with my hands and create without holding a mouse. My father is a tree trimmer and has been as long as I've been alive. The smell of sawdust is the smell of home. And so I am drawn to work with wood.
I'm an experimenter. I use a variety of scraps and found objects, but my artwork will largely integrate wood. And beyond the connections to my past, wood (and trees in particular) have many parallels to the life of the Christian. The roots seek water. The leaves seek sun. Similarly, I seek to be rooted in Christ. And as I pursue my daily activities, seek challenges and invest in the lives of others, I want Christ to be glorified through it all. Over the years I have enjoyed learning what it means to glorify Christ through the arts. It's a journey. It's fascinating. And while this concept is nothing new (there are countless examples throughout history), in my life it is new every day and that's what excites me as an artist.
May 1, 2015
About five years ago I developed a plan. As both a professional juggler and an artist, I noticed that the few pieces of juggling-based artwork I came across were either pretty cheesy, pretty lousy, or both. Occasionally someone offers a well-designed t-shirt, but in order to find that you need wade through a sea of rough illustrations, inside jokes, and bad "ball" puns. Jugglers seem to like that kind of stuff and that's fine. But at the same time, I think many would appreciate something…
April 21, 2015
Trends come and go, but the words "simple" and "clean" continue to be uttered by designers. These concepts surpass trends and that's because design, unlike fine art, is all about communication. If the message is unclear, the most beautiful of designs is a failure. And that's where people get into trouble. They're very aware of the need to communicate. And there's a lot they want to say. But with each line that gets added to copy, with each element that is placed onto a logo, and with each…
April 15, 2015
Seven years ago this punk girl entered my life. I'd seen her around church and learned she was in art school. When eventually we bumped into each other, we started chatting. We talked art—specifically, we talked Frida Kahlo. Talking to her was easy. That's not my norm. Soon I got a call. She wanted to do some plein air painting on my property. Climbing the meadow behind my house, she planted her easel and got busy. By the time she was done there was paint across her hands and face…