I think the art world... is a very small pond, and it's a very inbred pond. They rely on information from an elect elite sect of galleries, primarily in New York.
I've never been at odds with the world of contemporary artists. If there is any animosity, it's one-sided.
High culture is paranoid about sentiment. But human beings are intensely sentimental.
I'm a warrior for light.
It is easy to have a lot of paintings or projects hanging around that are 'almost done.'
Rather than set aside daily time for prayer, I pray constantly and spontaneously about everything I encounter on a daily basis. When someone shares something with me, I'll often simply say, 'let's pray about this right now.'
I'm working on a snow scene right now, and it's summer. It's hot, and I will get chilly. I'll have to turn on the heat. My wife walks in, and it's 95 degrees in the studio. I know it's nutty, but it's a projection you have where you step into the painting.
With whatever talent and resources I have, I'm trying to bring light to penetrate the darkness many people feel.
I share something in common with Norman Rockwell and, for that matter, with Walt Disney, in that I really like to make people happy.
I remember my mom had a big collection of copies of Saturday Evening Post magazines, and that was really my introduction to those great illustrators.
I've always been drawn to artists who paint for the everyday person. I love the American illustrators.
I began my career creating art for an animated feature film, and it has been a life-long dream to tell some of the story of my own life - the story behind my art - through the medium of motion pictures.
Every painting I do blends time frames. The great thing about being an artist is I can make the past join the present in some reality of the future.
A still image attracts the viewer with an overall impact, then reveals smaller details upon further study.
I love audio books, and when I paint I'm always listening to a book. I find that my imagination really takes flight in the painting process when I'm listening to audio books.
A painting has a lot of advantages over other forms of communication. Unlike a movie, you don't have to put it into a machine and turn it on. It's just there every day. It's not limited by the element of time. It's a constant part of the home.
I grew up in a broken home. My dad was out of the home when I was five years old. I never knew him very well.
What I paint touches on foundational life values. Home, family, peacefulness. And one of the messages I try to constantly get across is, 'Slow it down and enjoy every moment.'
The whole Modernist lie is that art is about the artist.
The disintegration of the culture starts with the artist. I'm on a crusade to turn the tide in the arts, to restore dignity to the arts and, by extension, to the culture.
