The art bug bites when…
I’m randomly letting my mind wander, sometimes in the middle of the night, sometimes while I shower, or sometimes when I walk the dogs. Rarely while staring at a blank canvas for hours in the art studio.

My art influences…
They come from so many places. There are some types of images I am attracted to, such as early ink printing, vintage pop surrealism, baroque tapestries and retro kitsch. I have also always been obsessed by the raw imagery of Francis Bacon.

The idea behind my signature double-vision style…
I want people to view my art and access a different part of their mind while looking at it. I want people to enter a process of analyzing and visual questioning. I do not want to just paint “something pretty” — it needs to be more than that.
It has been suggested that human beings are not awake until wakefulness occurs via over-stimulation of the senses and full activation of the mind. A recurring brain state of consciousness in which an individual is conscious and engaged. I try to initiate reactive responses to the external visual stimuli offered through the superposition of figurative elements and vivid colours.

And how it became my signature…
I was always fascinated by patterns and symmetry. I first experienced such imagery while in art school in 2000. Anything that makes the eyes travel over an image repeatedly. As I played with duplication of elements, I found the vibrating effect created by overlaying images so positively stimulating. Some elements naturally come back when you are exploring mediums and concepts; instinctive creative decisions will always lead the overall process, which leads to an artist’s “style.” It took me years to be able to perfect the idea. Meticulously calculating and carefully planing a new image is still my favorite part of the process.

And what it is about the eyes for me…
My focus is always the eyes and face. This is how the message is communicated with the viewer. I also like to think that portraiture is a way to immortalize humans in space and time. If you look at portraits from 500 years ago, 100 years ago or five years ago, it will give you significant clues on the potential story of the subject. Portraiture is basically a visual thesis on the human condition seen through the vision of its maker.

The women in my portraits are…
My dear muses. I often use specific models who have become my muses by now. That said, some of the colors, patterns and expressions I choose to represent truly express a specific emotional phase of my life regardless of who is literally portrayed. Creating is a very personal experience and I believe each piece can be seen as a type of self portraiture.