On the surface it seems so simple. Burnouts, horsepower, loud exhaust. These things make me happy. They always have.

I often encourage people to step back and then take a closer look when viewing my work. My technique at first glance looks simple. It sometimes even looks photo-realistic. But upon getting closer, the image breaks apart into loose brushstroke. You can't help but to wonder if you are still seeing what you saw from a distance.

Texture...

Although I hate to admit it, I did paint a picture of a lighthouse. It was in school while I was studying to learn how to paint. I did it my junior year at Goshen College and I think it's even still hanging in my parents living room. I've done abstraction, landscapes, portraits. I've even done a seemingly angst filled painting of a shadowy figure curled up in pain sitting in flames (now that's art!). I never would have thought that cars would be be a viable subject for fine art. (At least that's not what I was told) So why paint them? Why glorify something that is man-made? Why would anyone replace their lighthouse with a Lincoln?

Layers...

There are many reasons I decided that cars made sense for me. If someone asks me "why?", I usually will give them a simple answer. "I grew up around cars", "It gives me something to talk about", I never get tired of looking at cars". Again, these are often easy answers to something that really isn't that simple. Finding a direction is one of the toughest things for an artist to do. And although there are many more reasons for what I have chosen to do, just as important is that loud exhaust is still cool. Doing burn-outs makes me happy. Art needs passion.