"Art is artist. For, how can one seperate the art from the artist? Our whole lives can be a struggle for self-expression. Only when we discover our medium can we truly  communicate to others the intricacies of our unique identaties, our hidden inner lives. When we find our practice we find our purpose; and it is only then when we can truly make a difference in this world.

Henry David Thoreau wrote that, 'The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work.'

These words point to what Joseph Campbell labeled, 'The Hero's Journey.' The path is to abandon for a time the expectations of a backwords society, to travel bravely into the dark forest of the unknown, to meet the mysterious helpers that guide us, and to bring back some kind of boon that the world surely needs.

I am often approached by others who are intrigued to know about the art life, those seeking some kind of understanding of what it means to be a painter. "I can't even draw a stick-figure," they often exclaim. Here I can say that we are all artists; whether one be a doctor or a dancer, a mathematician or a magician, a cook or a concert pianist, our lives are our canvases. And what we do... that is our paint.

Enjoy the paintings, support the arts, and best of luck on your travel through this colorful world."

 - Jay