Artist biography and statement

My journey in art began at a very young age, growing up in Liberia, West Africa. I vividly remember the bustle of life in the Liberian open markets and on the streets. There were people from a multitude of nationalities who worked and lived in the country at the time, and I was fortunate to have had the immersion in that multi-cultural world. I believe it provided me with a wider lens from which to view and understand the world around me.

After my family moved to the United States, I obtained my formal training in fine arts. I fell in love with oil painting, and it has been my primary medium since. My earlier works favored post-impressionism, as I was enamored with the works of masters like Cezanne, van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse and others. Later, my art gravitated toward abstraction - and the works of artists like DeKooning, Pollock, Rothko - and most recently, Hilma Af Klint – masters whose works fostered inspiration toward my pivot into abstract art. 

My venture into contemporary abstract painting began about fifteen years ago, and for the past few years I served as a maritime captain of an ocean research vessel. I believe that my painting style received some influence from the thinking process inherent to maritime training and my time at sea. I saw my art work take yet another pivot, adding dimensional changes to my abstract pieces. I am thrilled to work in abstract painting, for in this art form I found that the reality of everything can be interpreted in multi-faceted expressions. In creating a new abstract painting, it comes with the absolute understanding that when I approach the work, I do so with the expectation that the image will transform as the painting progresses. The canvas seems to be continuously changing and pulsating with movement. This very evolution is what drives my passion. It is the mystery, the anticipation and the allure of the final product that propel my love for painting contemporary abstract pieces.