My work exists on a spectrum of duality between creation and destruction. Recurring themes center around agents of entropy, dismantling civilization as humanity constructs it. Our Universe seems unaware of Einstein’s insistence on his ‘elegant theory of everything’ and instead appears to function as a fractured megastructure rife with paradox. This is wildly exciting! It’s also brutally confusing. I can’t seem to resist poking around the edges of unreachable knowledge. 

Simultaneously, I live in the awe. Woven into the background fabric of my work is the  mysterious wonder I feel on a moonless winter night in the desert. 

I find that disrupting real time human chronology induces the Overview Effect. From space, the boundaries between humans, countries, and ideologies, aren’t visible and thus lose importance. Many astronauts aboard the International Space Station continue to report a profound cognitive shift that results in acute awareness of the interconnectedness of humanity to itself and the planet. The Overview Effect naturally induces a wider view, much like my films.  

For example, a wildfire is a fast moving situation where the slow process of time lapse photography is inherently incongruous. Recording an event in this manner permits the viewer to see a wider reality via chronological disruption.

Unearthing and manipulating time and sound allow me to peer into hidden worlds. They are my primary mediums and manifest in a number of sub-mediums such as painting, photography, video, and installation. I combine these, along with other subjects that fascinate me – decaying animals, abandoned structures, optional illusion paintings, riots, large-scale scientific facilities, stars, and wildfires – into films created with hundreds of thousands of photographs.

My projects have many configurations: I pluck moments like an individual photograph from a 12 hour time lapse, and create a standalone piece of art. For the aural experience, it works in reverse. I cut moments from larger pieces of sound art and create soundtracks. 

I’m fascinated by noise and recording quotidian acoustics. The flashing lights of a fire engine emit rhythmic bursts independent of its sirens. Listening to and capturing its electromagnetic pulses (with specialized equipment) facilitates my creation of auditory compositions and textures. An unlikely pursuit pioneered by the great Christina Kubisch and Kim Cascone, sound completes the visual component of my work. It is paramount. 

Informed by movements and artists, from street art to the subversion of utopian pursuits of minimalist painters such as John McLaughlin and Piet Mondrian, I often gravitate towards optical illusion minimalism as both a window into another world and – when viewed out of perspective – a way to generate thought defying abstractions across architectural forms. 

Abandoned buildings hold a special place in my imagination. I perceive them as doorways to the past, modern ruins that function as future canvases. 

When I find a room in one, my brain ignites. Pacing around the space, I sketch paintings in my mind and consider the nature of the elements and my own films. This part of my practice draws primarily from the exploration of Native American ruins with my grandfather while growing up in the southeastern corner of Utah.   

I am a huge believer in DIY. Everything is self-funded through art collectors and commercial production jobs. Currently, I’ve opted out of representation by a gallery, despite exhibiting in numerous museums. It may be unconventional to disclose this piece of information within an artist statement, but it feels important to state, primarily for the benefit of other artists. What could be more essential to an artist statement than a few words about forging your own path in the world?