I've always been fascinated with the complexity of a  human being. 
It's interesting how we can have different emotions and different personalities that separate us from other
people, and we live in a time period where these differences can be celebrated. 
The younger generation, in particular is intriguing, because they still retain a sense of youth and liveliness that
may be lost when they grow into adults. I aim to capture this vibrancy in my art. 

Art to me is very personal.
I draw people who I know, people with complex personalities, and people who have had a great influence on my life. 
I'm very thankful of the friends I've made, and this gratefulness drives me to continue working on art.
I work hard and put all of my effort into expressing my appreciation for them, and into sharing with the viewer
what I see in each person.

    I tend to favor colored pencil as my medium of choice.
It’s a simple material that I’ve been using since I was a child; starting with simple Crayolas
and training myself to a Prismacolor level. 
 
I use photographs, that either I or my parents took when I was younger. 
I then work to recreate the image as accurately as possible, assuring that every body part has the right proportions
(usually by making a grid), and shading every dimple and wrinkle in the subject's face. 

Recently, I've begun working with bright acrylic colors in the background,
and I think it works well to highlight each individual's mood or facial expression.
I use color to make my subjects look as alive as I feel they are. My work is very technical towards the details, and
I aim to give each person a liveliness that I don’t think could be captured in a photograph.

Throughout making all my pieces, I've learned so much about different media, 
and my style has forced me to reflect on the best qualities of my friends.
I've found that I'm much more content making work in honor of other people
​ rather than making work for myself.