MY STORY

Born in 1978, I grew up in the small coastal community of Lake Worth Beach, Florida. My family is rich with talent; my grandparents and great-grandparents were composers and performers with Finland's National Orchestra. My father is a creative writer, and my mother is an illustrator and former ballerina. Both always encouraged my artistic pursuits.

 

From a young age, I was obsessed with the arts—drawing, painting, and making music. At twelve, I received my first guitar, and my love for music began. Days and nights were spent learning, practicing, and playing along with my tapes and CDs. Even though I didn't know how to play, I wrote tunes. In high school, I was known as the long-haired metalhead guitarist. Summer breaks were filled with making and recording music in my bedroom. I composed, played, and performed all songs, and I designed all the album cover artwork and cassette tape inserts.

 

After high school, I joined the metal band GONEMAD, which toured the country. We released four albums and performed at iconic locations such as CBGB's in NYC, Stone Pony in New Jersey, and Mama Kin, Aerosmith's former club near Fenway Park in Boston, MA. The internet was still in its infancy, so all promotion, communication, and exposure were done through grassroots and guerilla marketing. Everything was self-funded and created by us. GONEMAD opened for bands like Godsmack, Hatebreed, Exodus, Powerman 5000, Corrosion of Conformity, and Suicidal Tendencies.

 

In 2002, I left the band to focus on a career in construction. I worked for my uncle’s construction company, learning all I could about building homes, designing plans, and obtaining a general contractor license. During this time, I also traveled the world in my free time, documenting my experiences through photography.

 

The 2008 recession forced me to move and work as a construction project manager for the largest automotive tire retailer in the States. With perseverance and creativity, I eventually became the director of architecture and engineering, leading a team that developed buildings, site plans, interiors, and concepts for many commercial retail, office, and distribution facilities. This marked the beginning of my corporate America journey.

 

It was a unique situation where I was responsible for planning, creating, and managing multi-million-dollar facilities for a $2 billion firm without a degree. Everything I knew came from self-teaching, perseverance, and determination. However, as management evolved and new clientele came in, college degrees and formal education became relevant. The subject was avoided as much as possible since I was insecure about not having a college degree. At 39, I decided to pursue one. Given my background in architecture and design, I thought a degree in interior design would be a good fit. In 2022, I obtained a BFA in interior design with Summa Cum Laude honors.

 

While in school and after many successful years at the automotive service and tire retailer, I needed a new challenge and career move. In 2018, I was hired as the Director of Development and Construction for a Fortune 500 company. In this position, I designed, developed, built, and remodeled car dealerships for major manufacturers across the U.S., including Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, and others.

 

My transition into a full-fledged corporate professional was complete. Work dominated my existence. I was constantly checking my phone and email. I flew from Florida to the West Coast every other week to oversee my projects. I didn't have the energy or time to pursue anything creative. My weekends and free time were spent watching TV, playing video games, and spending time with my amazing wife and family. I made a great living and comfortable life but always felt like something was missing.

 

Rewinding a few years, my wife and I experienced our first "fine art" moment on a cruise ship—yes, it was Park West, and we all know about their artwork. Love them or not, I must credit them with sparking my addiction to art collecting. Even though our first lot of art was all giclee, it was exciting! We acquired enough art to be invited to a VIP event, where I met Peter Max at one of his last public appearances. After attending several of these events, listening to several prominent artists, and spending thousands on art (now all original/unique works), I felt I could probably paint, maybe not as well… yet!

 

I've always been a creative; I have a decent imagination and am familiar with the principles of design and art. I've designed buildings, remodeled spaces, and created digital art. The rest is all technique, right? I know there is more to it than that, but that was my initial impression. One day, I took out my art supplies from school and laid down some paint on canvas. The result was positively surprising. With each successive painting, I set out to do something far more intricate than the previous.

 

As I started creating surreal artwork, many ideas just came to me. However, as the ideas took shape, I realized that subconsciously, I was transforming personal philosophies, thoughts, and experiences into artistic stories, many of which have a duality or polarity in balance. I've always enjoyed opposing contrasts that balance or work in harmony. While in interior design school, I often used the phrase “a juxtaposition of the raw and refined™,” which has always described my imaginative, creative work, which I have since trademarked.

 

I believe a story in art is essential, and I want to tell it using symbolism and allegory. I delve into surrealism and fantasy because imagination is important and boundless. Creating something unconventional and outside reality causes one to pause, think, and question. Questions inspire introspection, which leads to ideas and innovation, stretching the bounds of creativity and imagination beyond what is perceived as real or possible. In this space, great things can be accomplished.