BORN AUGUST 27, 1959

 

PARIS IS MY HOME TOWN.

ART IS MY WHOLE WORLD.

 

MY PHILOSOPHY IS, BUY WHAT YOU LOVE….

BECAUSE YOU CANNOT ACTUALLY BUY LOVE!

 

IT IS NOT EASY FOR ME TO WRITE ABOUT MYSELF BECAUSE NO ONE TRULY KNOWS WHO I AM….

 

I DON’T EVEN KNOW MYSELF! I PREFER TO STAY OUT OF THE LIMELIGHT AND FIND IT COMPLICATED TO USE WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE ENERGY AND EMOTION BEHIND MY WORK. I CAN DESCRIBE MY INSPIRATION AND HOW IT BEGAN…..

 

ONCE UPON A TIME, AS A CHILD, I DEEPLY ADMIRED MY GRANDMOTHER. SHE WAS A WOMAN OF GREAT STYLE AND FINESSE, ALTHOUGH SHE WAS DESTITUTE AND LIVED IN ABJECT POVERTY. SHE WAS KIND, COMPASSIONATE AND VERY CREATIVE. SHE HAD GRACE, BEAUTY, AND HER SWEETNESS WAS WITHOUT PEER. SHE WAS ALWAYS THERE FOR ME. HER CREATIVITY AND ARTISTIC TALENT WAS THE INFLUENCE THAT PAVED MY FUTURE.

 

MY GRANDMOTHER TRANSFORMED MUNDANE DAILY OBJECTS, SUCH AS A SIMPLE DRINKING GLASS, INTO A MAGICAL VESSEL. SHE WOULD DIP HER PAINT BRUSH INTO GOLD LEAF AND RIM OUR GLASSES IN GOLD. SHE WOULD INSCRIBE EACH GLASS WITH A BEAUTIFUL GOLDEN MESSAGE IN HER IMPECCABLE SCRIPT. AS I SIPPED MY WATER I WOULD READ HER WISE WORDS……

“TO LIFE”

“THINK WITH YOUR HEART, DECIDE WITH YOUR HEAD”

“NOTHING CHANGES EXCEPT YOUR PERCEPTION”

 

WHEN MY GRANDMOTHER KNIT A SCARF, IT WAS NEVER ORDINARY. SHE WOULD INCORPORATE ALL THE TREASURES SHE HAD FOUND ON THE STREET. BITS OF CHAIN OR FABRIC SAMPLES WOULD BE WOVEN INTO HER WORK. THE SCARVES WERE THE

CANVASES OF HER ART. NO MATTER THE SEASON, MY GRANDMOTHER FOUND WONDER IN EVERYTHING. IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER SHE WOULD PICK FLOWERS. IN THE FALL SHE COLLECTED LEAVES. EVERY WINTER SHE GATHERED TWIGS AND PINECONES. SHE WOULD CAREFULLY DRY AND STAIN THESE GIFTS OF NATURE, THEN PROCEEDED TO  CREATING THE MOST UNIQUE BOUQUETS I’VE EVER SEEN. WHETHER QUENCHING MY THIRST FROM HER GOLDEN CUPS, WRAPPING MY NECK WITH A FINE ART SCARF, OR GAZING UPON HER SCULPTURAL BOUQUETS, I WAS TRANSPORTED TO A MAGICAL PLACE. SHE NEVER THREW ANYTHING AWAY, AND WOULD TELL ME THAT ALL THINGS HAVE THEIR PLACE, BUT ONLY AN ARTIST KNOWS WHERE THAT PLACE IS.

 

ALTHOUGH MY GRANDMOTHER IS NO LONGER IN THIS REALM, SHE IS ALWAYS WITH ME. TO THIS DAY, I STILL WEAR HER GOLD BANGLES ON MY WRIST. EVERY TIME THEY JINGLE I CAN HEAR HER LAUGHTER AND MY DAY BECOMES INFUSED WITH JOY. ONE THING I CAN SAY ABOUT MYSELF IS THAT I AM A NATURAL BORN DREAMER. I SEE THINGS MORE CLEARLY WITH MY EYES CLOSED, AND QUITE OFTEN, MY GRANDMOTHER IS MY GUIDE.

 

MY FATHER WAS A MUSICIAN WHO WORKED WITH EDITH PIAF. MY MOTHER WORKED HARD KEEPING A CLEAN HOUSE AND CREATING DELICIOUS MEALS FOR OUR VERY LARGE FAMILY, WHICH REQUIRED IMMENSE CREATIVE TALENTS ON SUCH A MEAGER INCOME.  I WAS SURROUNDED BY ARTISTIC ENERGY SINCE MY BIRTH. IT WAS MY OXYEGEN! I NEVER WENT TO ART SCHOOL. I’VE NEVER BEEN FORMALLY EDUCATED IN THAT FIELD. I BELIEVE THAT EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER, AND ART IS A NEVER ENDING STORY OF LEARNING. I AM AN ADMIRER OF BEAUTY AND CAN SEE IT IN ALL THINGS. I ALWAYS DO WHAT I LOVE AND AM THANKFUL TO BE ABLE TO SHARE THIS WITH OTHERS. FOR ME, ART IS EVERYWHERE AND IN EVERYTHING. THE VISCERAL AND SPIRITUAL ASPECTS ARE BETTER GUIDES THAN THE PURELY PHYSICAL ONES. MY 6TH SENSE IS WHERE MY CREATIVE PROCESS OCCURS. MY SURROUNDING ENERGY IS VITAL TO THAT PROCESS, SO I MUST THANK MY WIFE. SHE IS AN ESSENTIAL PARTICIPANT. WE SHARE THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE. OUR GREATEST CREATIONS ARE OUR 4 BOYS. THEY ARE OUR ETERNAL SOURCE OF ENERGY, VIGOR AND INSPIRATION.

 

WHAT INSPIRED ARTISTS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS TO CREATE MAGNIFICANT WORKS OF ART?

HOW DID THEY COME UP WITH THEIR WONDERFUL IDEAS?

WHAT MADE THEIR ART SO UNIQUE?

 

THE ANSWER TO THESE QUESTIONS IS NOT A LOGICAL ONE. ARTISTS ARE INSPIRED BY THE METAPHYSICAL. AN ARTISTS IMAGINATION IS CONNECTED TO THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION IN WHICH THE BIG PICTURE IS CREATED. THE ARTIST IS ABLE TO MANIFEST THAT VISION INTO THE PHYSICAL REALITY. WHEN MICHAEL ANGELO SAW A GIANT SLAB OF MARBLE, HE DIDN’T SEE A STONE. HE SAW DAVID. A VISIONARY IS SOMEONE ABLE TO SEE WHAT THE MAJORITY CAN’T SEE. WHEN I WORK WITH STEEL AND EXOTIC SKINS, I SEE THE MIRROR POLISHED STEEL AS A PURE REFLEXION OF THE SOUL, WHILE THE EXOTIC SKIN THAT ENVELOPES THE STEEL IS THE BODY. I LOVE WORKING WITH THESE MATERIALS BECAUSE THE COMBINATION INTERTWINES BODY AND SOUL INTO ONE. WHEN I PARTICIPATE IN EXHIBITIONS OF MY WORK IN GALLERIES OR ART SHOWS I’M OFTEN ASKED WHAT INSPIRED A PARTICULAR PIECE. AS, I’VE EXPLAINED IN THIS SHORT STORY, I ONLY EXPLAIN WHAT INSPIRED ME TO CREATE ART, BUT I  DON’T KNOW MYSELF WELL ENOUGH TO EXPLAIN WHY I CREATED A PARTICULAR PIECE, SO I REPLY WITH ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES…

“I AM SIMPLY A PENCIL IN GOD’S HANDS”