Hello readers! The holiday season is here already, wow did that come quickly. Art makes for great gifts, whether it be a print or an original piece.
To that end, I will have my entire *Vibrant Decay” series for sale at the Midnight Lament Market in Seattle, WA. Come over and see beautiful creations from several vendors, including art, jewelry, and many more!
My entire series of Vibrant Decay is framed and ready to hang. Each piece is on an 11 x 14″ panel, framed in simple, contemporary matte black frames. I will also be offering works that are one-offs, not part of the Vibrant Decay series.
The market is from 12 noon to 5pm on December 2nd. I will be sharing a table with a good friend, and I hope to see y’all there!
Hello readers, thank you for reading my blog! I wanted to share with you some exciting news: my series, Vibrant Decay, is currently on display at The Station! The Station is a local coffee shop in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle, located at:
1600 S Roberto Maestas Festival Street, Seattle, WA 98144
The show began on August 21st and will hang until October 16th.
My inspiration for my Vibrant Decay series began as a still life exercise. I liked the juxtaposition of death (skulls) and life (flowers). I wanted to use bright, whimsical colors to bring beauty to a concept that is usually dark and dreary. Death is a normal part of the circle of life. I’ve been fascinated with animal skulls due to their unique shapes, curves, and delicate features. The biodiversity of the plant kingdom was also a driving factor. Vibrant Decay is an example of the beauty and neutrality of nature. Natural cycles of life and death catch up to us all in the end.
7 works out of the current 15 works are at The Station, all framed and for sale! For more information on purchasing a piece, please visit my artist profile page:
I am still continuing to work on my Vibrant Decay series, for future shows (and for pure fun!). To that end, please enjoy a progress photo of the newest Vibrant Decay piece.
As always, thank you for reading my blog! Stay safe in the smoke, and enjoy the end of the summer.
Vibrantant Decay exhibition is at:
The Station, 1600 S Roberto Maestas Festival Street. Seattle, WA 98144
I created this series, “The Dying Womb Within”, as a way to process my dysphoria. My uterus is quickly becoming useless, just an extra unneeded body part.
For those unaware, masculinizing hormone replacement therapy 1) raises your testosterone levels, 2) decreases your estrogen levels over time. The estrogen will continue to be produced as long as the appropriate organs (uterus) are functioning. Testosterone levels will eventually overtake estrogen levels. Eventually, a trans man taking testosterone will reach the same levels as a cis man.
So in essence, my uterus is still producing estrogen, even though HRT has overtaken it long ago. To me personally, it feels like a useless and unnecessary part of my body. The process for approval of a hysterectomy can be lengthy and requires multiple letters from doctors and behavioral health specialists.
All that being said, each painting of my uterus is meant to look dead, and decaying. I accomplished this by painting a uterus infested with maggots; a uterus six feet under and growing mushrooms; and a uterus being devoured by vultures.
Art doesn’t always have to be beautiful. Sometimes art can be about our fears, about challenging comfort zones, and about self expression of our deep dark thoughts.
“Food for the Vultures” acrylic on board, 14 x 11″, July 2023
As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate all my readers and viewers. Have a safe holiday!
My newest piece of art is based on some of the characters from The Neverending Story. This is my all time favorite movie since I first saw it as a small child. It’s finally time to paint it! (I’ve only seen the first one, so no spoilers about the other two, please)
This piece includes Falkor, the Rock-biter, the Night Hob Goblin, and the Racing Snail with their jockey. The Ivory Tower is also in this painting, on the bottom right.
This movie was a great metaphor for depression, teaching the value of reading a good book, and an archetypal hero’s journey. It is a beautiful fantasy, and also very sad at times. I won’t say too much more for the risk of spoilers, but it is a very good movie and very close to my heart. I’m planning a few other Neverending Story tributes…
As always, thanks for reading. Have a wonderful week!
My series “Dysphoria,” is about my top-surgery journey. Top-surgery refers to a double-masectomy plus chest reconstruction. It is considered a life+saving surgery for transmen and non-binary people.
The word “Dysphoria” in this context refers to the feeling of discomfort and/or distress that occurs in people whose gender differs from their sex assigned at birth and/or sex related physical characteristics.
I illustrated my pre-surgery dysphoria, and also the healing process after surgery. Ultimately, I am depicting a very big life milestone, to increase visibility of the transmasculine and non-binary community.
Hello readers! Today is Transgender Day of Visibility. Today is a celebration of the resiliency of all trans people around the world. This is especially true now, when hatred and bigotry towards the community seems to grow every day. Today is a day to loudly and proudly be our most authentic selves!
We also think about the many closeted trans folks, who might not feel safe coming out, and try to be beacons of light in a dark world. We try to show trans youth that it does get better, so that they can imagine a bright future as their authentic selves.
I am steadily working on a painting series about my own transness. The series, “Dysphoria”, is based on my journey towards top surgery, and the joy and peace that came after surgery.
Also, here’s a progress picture of the last of the series (or second to last? 🤔
Hello readers! Sorry for the silence, I have some life changes going on right now. Thanks to all the hard work of everyone involved in this show, from my awesome wife, various LoCA staff members, and the Pie Bar for being such an accommodating host!
The show has 14 original pieces, signed and framed. I am also offering prints made-to-order. The Pie Bar at the Ballard location is hosting my show until mid-May. Stop by for some pie, some art, and a beautiful atmosphere!
Some of my favorites are featured below! To view the full set up, click here to access my artist page!
Thank you for reading my blog! I have this incredible opportunity to display my work, something I’ve been wanting and working towards since I was a child. I appreciate all the helpful hands that made this show possible.
Hello readers! I am back to blogging and painting! I have exciting news: my series Vibrant Decay will be on display in Ballard, WA. The exhibition is at Pie Bar, and goes from March 9th to May 11th. I will provide business cards, as well as QR codes to purchase originals and prints.
Here is my artist page with all of my originals and prints for sale, as well as my artist statement about the series.
Hello readers! I needed a quick break from my usual animal skulls and flowers. I decided to paint my favorite animal, manatees!
I’ve always been fascinated by manatees, or “sea cows.” They are gentle, shy herbivores, mammals who spend most of their time grazing on sea vegetables. Their vision is limited, so they have evolved sensitive whiskers to help them navigate. Their flippers have a similar bone structure as a human hand, helping them hold food similar to an elephant’s trunk. Their tails are large, flat paddles.
Manatees are endangered, they have started to die off in record numbers because of famine. Poor water quality in their natural habitat is killing the seagrass that is a major part of the manatees’ diet. That being said, if you see a wild manatee, don’t interact with them or try to feed them.