What is the creative philosophy you follow when creating a piece of art?
I try to make art that is raw and cutthroat. I want to shy away from making art that I think people will like versus art that comes from deep within my heart. I guess my philosophy is keeping it street and hoping the viewer can find the beauty in that. My work is for anyone, just not everyone.
Do you find that your mood and life experiences influence your art?
Of course. When I’m having a bad day, it reflects in all of my work. My brushstroke will appear angry and defiant. If I’m having a good day, my brushwork is soft and fluid. My mood also influences my subject matter and composition. I paint like a jazz musician. I start with one intent and end with another.
How do you push the boundaries of your creative comfort zone and venture into new artistic territories?
I tend to lean towards what I fear the most and use that as fuel to pick and poke at my boundaries. Testing the waters through trial and error, but reaching for something higher every time. I’m also not one to walk away from change. I can switch things up at a drop of a dime and find a way to tiptoe through bullshit, making something dope in the end. At the end of the day, I will always be me and authentic.
What inspired the theme, color palette, or concept of your most recent work?
My latest body of work is still in the development process. However, I took inspiration from the streets of Los Angeles and my visit to Italy. I saw many similarities in the condition of man. Churches and cathedrals adorned with graffiti. I found beauty in the juxtaposition between a class of poor individuals who have given their faith to God, praying for better days, and a poor class of young adults who have given their faith to the streets, marking their identity just to say, ‘I’m here, I exist.’
As an artist, creative ideas are infinite. How do you decide which idea is worth pursuing?
I always pursue ideas that I know will raise eyebrows and questions. I don’t want to offend people, but I do want to open minds and create curiosity. I’m not interested in making boring art. I want to make work that people will talk about forever.
If your art had a superpower, what would it be and why?
The power to influence. I want to inflict a bit of change in people. I want to make people see things a little differently. We live in a world where people walk on autopilot and I want to live in a world where people run on awareness.
If you could choose one famous person (dead or alive) to be the ambassador of your art, who would it be and why?
Leonardo DaVinci, because he was a visionary and a curious individual like myself. I have found interest in many fields of study based on curiosity. Expanding my mind and knowledge is the ultimate addiction. There is no one better to represent my art.
If your artwork could talk, what would it say?
It would probably sound like a congested cafeteria—chatter from all directions, whispers and shouts. You may hear something about art history, street politics, or even the humming of a song or traumatic stories from my past. There are many personalities that exist in my mind, yet they all want the same thing. They just want to be free.