Painting is the only thing that I can ever imagine doing in my lifetime.  It is the only thing that I've ever wanted to pursue and dedicate my life to doing.  Therefore, I am avaricious about it.  I cannot imagine ever being satisfied with my work.  My aspiration makes me think ahead.  Disciplines and quests are my daily tasks for improvements.

I am a self-taught painter and I learn simply from observations of the world surrounding me.  I examine textures, materials, colors and other qualities that aid and define my techniques of painting.  Photographs are a unique source of my thoughts, especially those of vintage styles and collections of skillful photographers that I admire.  The intricate details of colors, textures, and the fragileness of photographs are astonishing to me.  They empower me to want to learn my work even more.

My methods utilize uncontrollable mediums.  Though I am aware of the character of the mediums, my work is more defined when effects don't meet my expectations sometimes, and I think this is one of the real pleasures of painting.  There are no mistakes when I paint because I use mistakes as great opportunities to obtain new techniques, which plays out great on my canvases.

If I imagine what to make in my head, I feel that I am in a cage.  There are no joys, curiosity, risky attempts or new techniques in it.  Experiments exceed imagination easily, knowing this I have never been in a cage.

These are my passions that keep me conscious in my everyday life as a painter.

April 2008

INTERVIEW
MAY 2008

Q. What is the primary motivation behind your work?  How would you describe your creative impulse?

A. It's an aspiration.  Runners train day after day, think about how they can run faster, change or alter their form, try new shoes and uniforms, care about their bodies and so forth.  Their life is to improve on previous records, likes 2 minutes and 43 seconds to 1 minute and 59 seconds.  Some would be satisfied with the 2 minutes, but the ambitious runner continues to strive for a new record.  My motivation for painting is similar.

Q. Why do you prefer to work with oil and acrylic on canvas?  Have you worked with other mediums in the past?

A. I've never had the desire to work with other mediums.  Oil and acrylic have been proven to give me my desired outcomes.  I use both efficaciously.  This method is based solely from my own personal experiences.  I have always used oil and acrylic ever since I have been making work.  After years of discipline, I become even more confidant with the characteristics of both.  I also realized that I could get closer to my artistic vision when I use both.

Q. Please give a basic description of your creative process (ie, how the work is made).

A. Basically, my initial approach is to use numerous layers of semitransparent colors.  Then, I start working with acrylic colors and mediums, followed by layers and layers of oil.  I continue this process until I have the quality of work that I envisioned.

Q. How do you choose your color palette?

A. That's an easy question.  My unique source is vintage photographs when I work.  So, I use various colors that I see or feel in them.  Occasionally, I use hidden spices (colors) like cooking.  This allows me to make spontaneous dishes (or art pieces) with a deeper, more flavorful taste and tantalizing smell.

Q. How do you choose your imagery?  These paintings seem to all have images of a rose within them; what is the significance of this?

A. Shape is most important to me when I choose imagery.  Can you believe the form of the flowers?  And colors as well?  They are naturally beautiful, complicated and fascinating.  I borrow the power and gift of nature when making works.  And the roses, they are the best among all of the shapes.  In my opinion, no other flowers can beat roses...yet.

Q. How long have you been painting?  What kinds of developments do you see as your work progresses?

A. It's been almost 10 years since I began to paint seriously.  Nothing is the same as 10 years ago.  I try to learn and grow everyday, so that tomorrow would be different as it should be.

Q. You are a self-taught painter.  Why is this and what have you done to refine your techniques?

A. I never really envisioned ideas about going to school to learn painting.  As a child, I doodled at school, home, and anywhere and everywhere I could get my hands on.  I think that may have been more than doodling...I researched and worked very hard, and I really enjoyed that.  Today, I am still doing the same thing.  I continue to paint everything that I can imagine and try new approaches to get to what I am envisioning.  Like the runners I mentioned earlier, I am always trying to improve on my last piece of work.