About The Work
When I talk about my artwork I tend to gamify much of the process or talk about the creation of my art like playing chess or solving a puzzle - pushing through the "fog of war". The paintings I create are rooted in theory held by the inspirations of my favorite painters but played out on the surface through intuition that explores my imagination and train of thought. I often say about my paintings, they blur the line between abstraction and representation, relying on balance and the play of contrast by pushing and pulling layers of paint to create the final image.
My paintings begin with quick gestural drawings and mark making either referencing the drawings in my sketchbook or purely from my imagination. Throughout the painting process is layers of paint and oil pastels that start to refine a light source or linework to find the form I am "chasing". This is the push and pull part of my work that I love - pulling out new information to work with along the way. My paintings feel finished when the composition feels balanced but the final product is fresh and feels like mine.
I have been drawing since I can remember and still remains a crucial part of my self teaching process to build my confidence and visualization as a painter. I utilize my sketchbook as a place where anything goes - frequently journaling and letting out those crappy ideas with quick thumbnail sketches for possible paintings in the future.
About the Character
2026 is the 10th year anniversary of my character. When I was young my interest in graffiti carried my passion for art. Fascinated by the unique characters, individual styles, and techniques my favorite writers had, the desire to create my own name or character has been there since the beginning. Pretty early on I chose - "SOLE" and have stuck with it since the elementary days. It wasn't until my passion for writing and drawing graffiti quickly bled over into the exploration of fine art, illustration, or any kind of art - you name it.
Eventually, a humanoid character began to emerge as a more or less naked dude with an X. It then turned into a red and white stripe shirted dude with an X. The striped shirt derived from the pictures I saw early on of my favorite painters - Basquiat, Hockney, Picasso, Warhol, etc. This represented the idea of a "creative" and so be-it I started, and still am to this day, creating paintings about creativity. Art about art...
He tends to be the vehicle I send out into the metaphorical realm of my "imagination". It allows me to place something that feels rooted in reality, into the wildest ideas I think up. It's also a great way to keep myself painting and sketching even when I am unsure of what to paint - it's the cushion that has allowed me to shake off many bad days.