Art has the potential for a mysterious power-maybe it's magic-to spark a connection, or sense of wonder, and to transport the viewer into another world.
One of my strongest artisitc influences is a glow-in-the-dark calendar on the wall above my bed in childhood ('77, not yet 6, just before the tidal wave of Star Wars). Staring up at night, I dreamed of climbing inside and getting lost.
When I make an image, I'm not really thinking about formal concerns of composition or surface or form-I'm looking to create a place. A space filled with light and air and, if possible, presence.
But if a work is to have a shot at that magical resonance, it needs good bones-even in the most ethereal de Koonings we see inspired draftsmanship and dedication to craft.
That combination is the hallmark of my artistic heroes: Rembrandt. Velazquez. Caravaggio. Van Gogh. Klimt. the Wyeths. Russell Chatham. Frida Kahlo. Ansel Adams. Andrei Tarkovsky. Andy Goldsworthy. James Turrell.
They, beyond the beauty of the natural world, are why I paint and where I find inspiration.