They say to paint what you love, and there is just something about sport that has always appealed to me. Having spent many years working behind the scenes with elite teams and athletes, I am fascinated with the study of “flow state”, especially the stark contrast between those brief moments of grace and beauty in competition and the gritty, complex work that goes on behind the scenes to make those elusive moments possible.

This contrast is what I’m after. My goal when working on a piece is to capture athletes in moments of flow state that a viewer feels at first glance through composition, movement, light, brushwork and atmosphere, but that upon closer inspection, what appeared more graceful and unified breaks down into it’s more gritty, complex foundational shapes, marks and colors.

I work exclusively in oil paint and prefer the look and feel of smooth linen panels whenever possible.  I really enjoy collaborating with people on commissions and getting a strong sense of what it is they admire about a certain athlete or moment before I commit to a specific image.  Ultimately, if I can capture the feeling you’re describing and do it in a way that also makes for a pleasing, dynamic piece of art, I’ve accomplished my goal.