Some offer the idea that creatives are capable of plucking great ideas from thin air. My ideas have never come easy. It is, after all, the concept that validates the motivation behind my paintings. If the idea is weak, then the very foundation of the painting is in jeopardy. Pigment may impress with its application, but it simply dresses up what is underneath. It is the responsibility of the illustrator to manifest their thoughts as visuals for others to comprehend.

My role begins long before I ever touch the final working surface. I spend my time pouring over the elements in a story, article, play, etc. that combine to present a problem. These problems offer parameters within which I can manipulate the assembled symbols through juxtaposition, metaphors, similes, etc. to uncover the seed of an idea. Usually letters and words, assembled into lists, are the universal symbols that I pull from the essence of the story.