I Will Not Fear

I Will Not Fear is an ongoing collection of colorful paintings and mixed media sculptures that are inspired by dark feelings such as anxiety and depression that I dealt with for as long as I can remember. Each piece is representative of fears that influence my mental state and effect my work. Through an abstract meditative process, I allow myself to reflect on the feeling and using representative and symbolic imagery I portray these fears that tend to hold me back. I inject the piece with humor using materials such as flags, balloons, candles, and even bubble gum along with many more. This brings physicality to the piece and pulls it out of being a traditional rectangular oil painting on a wall. It is the very act of creating these artworks that allows me to process and laugh at the fears that I face. I invite you to laugh along with me.

Colorful Abstract Oil painting featuring a shattered collection of color shifting gradients with tape masking portions of the piece. Representative of the artist's fear of making a mistake

A large vertical shattered glass oil painting vulnerably sits on the floor leaning against a limestone wall. A pane of glass leans against the painting covering the bottom portion of the piece, seemingly to protect it from careless onlookers and to create a contrast of glare between the upper and lower portion of the piece.

A golden spiraling gradation backgrounds stones engraved with the Star and Crescent tumbling into the spiral. The entire piece is wrapped with a rainbow flag nailed into the wood with black spikes.

Two canvases each with a pink and red triangular gradient, inverted from one another hang on a wall. They are connected to one another with a black metal zipper halfway undone with white stuffing bursting forth. Upon the gradients are conte drawings of anatomical hearts one nearly bursting from within, stitches holding cuts together. The other, completely deflated, stitches torn, and the cuts hang open. A conversation about the fear of commitment and the fear of loss.

Bloody cartoon teeth cascade down the tall vertical pink and green gradient background. All around the teeth inside the pink space is dotted with chewed pink bubblegum.

You look down a diamond shaped tunnel and webs cover your vision. A chilly breeze runs through, and black and white spiders begin a territorial battle. The white spiders are waiting to pounce while the black spiders hide in plain sight. There is something you're missing here and you can't quite put your finger on it. Are those fake spiderwebs?

As bright as a kids birthday party, the background of this painting looks like cake frosting. Popped balloons are literally pinned to the painting matching the painted ones that make you remember the terrible birthday parties you had alone or with others. Still, we are here and move on. Blow out the candles that are melted along the top of the painting with one left to light.

Ophidiophobia - I Feel Constricted by this fear. Oil painting of golden and black snakeskin framed by a Snakeskin belt hanging on a white wall. Medium sized and highly textured, this painting seems as though it is shifting and moving in three dimensional space along the canvas.

Close up photograph of the shattered gradient patched up with green frog tape.

close up photograph of the snakeskin painting featuring small peaks of oil paint creating a raised texture over a black canvas

Installation shot of the snakeskin painting featuring the snakeskin belt wrapped around the canvas. Comedic interjection representing the irony of someone who is afraid of snakes wearing a belt that constricts their waist just like the creature.

Closeup photograph of the chewed pink bubblegum glued to the painting scattered around the spaces where the teeth fail to fill it up. You can see teeth marks molded into the gum, serving as both a genetic and periodontal fingerprint of the artist.

Cotton spiderwebs stretch over an oil stick drawing of a black widow spider. The web sticks out the canvas just enough to provide texture, but when seen from the front, looks almost like it was drawn onto the painting.

The mouthpiece of a balloon is left hanging, pinned to the not celebratory birthday painting. The piece of balloon is separated from the rest of its body. The dramatic image shows the extruding texture of the unconventional materials that the artist used to playfully portray the heartwrenching topic.

Some of these artworks are still available for sale and exhibitions. Please contact me directly to inquire about a certain piece or the entire show. I am currently working on new pieces that follow this theme and will update this page accordingly. Check out my social media to see it as it comes out and sign up for my newsletter to get notified of new projects and shows.