Engraving

13" x 20.5"

2016

Engraving (Hand-Colored)

4" x 5.5"

2015

Sold

Linoleum Cut (Hand-Colored)

12" x 12"

2015

Sold

Stone Lithograph

21" x 28"

2014

In trying to better understand and accept the ever-changing ebbs and flows of my own emotional, social, familial, and spiritual life, I collected insights and ideas from a number of personally relevant sources in order to develop an image that addresses not only the idea, but also the importance of “going with the flow.”  

Over the past four years, many of my commutes to and from college classes have been spent in deep conversation with my Dad. Sometimes things are kept very light and casual, and that’s more than okay with me. But the most memorable and cogitating talks that we’ve had have involved the contemplation of, and sometimes heavy debate over culture, politics, morals, and spiritual beliefs. When initially composing my ideas in regards to the concept of “going with the flow”, I couldn’t help but be inspired by the conversations my Dad and I had with one another over the past few years. One concise bit of wisdom stood out as especially helpful in better understanding how to deal with the ebbs and flows of life. My Dad simply explained that in life there are things that fall into your “Circle of Influence,” and things that fall into your “Circle of Concern.” By this, he was conveying to me that certain things are out of my control, and therefore should not be stressed about or attempted to be controlled, yet that the mindset I adopt and how I conduct myself in responding to these situations IS in my control and worth investing energy in.

During the summers I enjoy going out on my canoe in the Northwestern part of Wisconsin where I live. While on the water, I often encounter all types of wildlife and am able to witness the “flow” that exists in the subtle “gives” and “takes” that occur between the infinite species of plants and animals that exist in that ecosystem. This seemingly effortless harmony and acceptance of what is that exists within nature serves as a beautiful reminder to trust in the co-creative act of flowing with life’s energy- or accepting what comes your way and making the absolute best out of it, as opposed to passively allowing people or situations to direct your life and actions for you.

In this lithograph I’ve incorporated local fauna (specifically: walleye, trout, an osprey, a falcon, and a great blue heron) in order to symbolize that despite whether you’re the fish or the bird, on bottom or on top, losing or winning, feeling grief or joy- you should do your best to embrace the circumstances and either seek the lesson or opportunity for growth in the tough times, or cherish and be grateful for the times when all is well. In his book titled, “The Power of Now,” Eckhart Tolle insightfully explains:

“There are cycles of success, when things come to you and thrive, and cycles of failure when they wither or disintegrate, and you have to let them go in order to make room for new things to arise or for transformation to happen. If you cling and resist at that point, it means you are refusing to go with the flow of life, and you will suffer. Dissolution is needed for new growth to happen. One cycle cannot exist without the other.”

Stone Lithograph

13” x 20.5”

2014

In creating this two-part stone lithograph, I was seeking to understand common practices or components of spiritual life from around the world. In examining various ways in which people come into contact with the Supreme Reality or Creator, I found “Meditation” and the act of giving “Praise” to be fairly consistent and integral parts of most spiritual lifestyles.

Praise, the joyful recounting of all that we have been provided with in this life, can take numerous forms. In Christianity, praise can be given in the form of singing, shouting, dancing, and playing musical instruments. Psalm 9:11 reads, “Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.” Similar to these hymns are a Hindu form of praise, bhajan. Bhajan is any form of love-expressing devotional song, which could be as simple as a repetitive mantra or kirtan, or as complex and as lyrically rich as an entire story. In Islam, an a cappella style of vocal praise exists as Anasheed. This form of praise excludes any other instruments aside from the occasional accompaniment of percussion. As I continued my research, I came to realize that there was a fairly worldwide theme of praise being expressed as both vocal and instrumental devotional music.

As a key part of Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, New Age Religion, Paganism, etc., meditation certainly holds a significant role in any spiritually inclined life. This practice, which is employed for various purposes, allows individuals to reflect on themselves, their actions, and sacred texts while developing a greater capacity for compassion, love, patience, generosity, and forgiveness in their daily lives. It is also commonly seen as a vehicle for coming into contact with God and finding liberation. The Christian Saint Pio of Pietrelcina stated, "Through the study of books one seeks God; by meditation one finds him."

Stone Lithograph

13” x 20.5”

2014

In creating this two-part stone lithograph, I was seeking to understand common practices or components of spiritual life from around the world. In examining various ways in which people come into contact with the Supreme Reality or Creator, I found “Meditation” and the act of giving “Praise” to be fairly consistent and integral parts of most spiritual lifestyles.

Praise, the joyful recounting of all that we have been provided with in this life, can take numerous forms. In Christianity, praise can be given in the form of singing, shouting, dancing, and playing musical instruments. Psalm 9:11 reads, “Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.” Similar to these hymns are a Hindu form of praise, bhajan. Bhajan is any form of love-expressing devotional song, which could be as simple as a repetitive mantra or kirtan, or as complex and as lyrically rich as an entire story. In Islam, an a cappella style of vocal praise exists as Anasheed. This form of praise excludes any other instruments aside from the occasional accompaniment of percussion. As I continued my research, I came to realize that there was a fairly worldwide theme of praise being expressed as both vocal and instrumental devotional music.

As a key part of Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, New Age Religion, Paganism, etc., meditation certainly holds a significant role in any spiritually inclined life. This practice, which is employed for various purposes, allows individuals to reflect on themselves, their actions, and sacred texts while developing a greater capacity for compassion, love, patience, generosity, and forgiveness in their daily lives. It is also commonly seen as a vehicle for coming into contact with God and finding liberation. The Christian Saint Pio of Pietrelcina stated, "Through the study of books one seeks God; by meditation one finds him."

Stone and Plate Lithograph

20” x 25”

2014

Stone Lithograph

29” x 20.5” 

2013
 

I developed this stone lithograph around the philosophy behind the Mayan phrase "In Lak'ech Ala K'in." I believe that this greeting, which basically translates to "I am another yourself," holds a great amount of value and wisdom. This phrase concurs with The Golden Rule in that it too acknowledges the undeniable way in which, whether directly or indirectly, all things effect one another and are interrelated. In recognizing that yourself, at its root, is no different than any other self, it becomes easier to treat others with the same compassion, love, patience, generosity, and forgiveness that you too would hope to receive. Similar to the more popularized Hindu phrase “Namaste,” this greeting acknowledges the divine nature within another individual, as to say "I honor the place within you in which the entire universe dwells. I honor the place within you, which is of Love, of Truth, of Light and of Peace. When you are in that place within you and I am in that place within me, WE ARE ONE."

Compositionally arranged like a Venn diagram, the two central figures acknowledge one another with direct soul-to-soul contact in that common ground area where we are all the same; that place behind all external failures, successes, hardships, blessings, etc., where we are simply two souls, two human-beings on the journey of life. Spiraling out from one another, neither figure commands more or less significance or power, but rather they exist in a symbiotic state- manifesting the Golden Rule. Mimicking the entwined figures is a galaxy-like form, intended to suggest the universality of this concept, as well as the incomprehensible capacity for love and compassion one must strive to embody in order to live out this philosophy. Representing the physical realm where our apparent differences and diverse directions in life are observed, the outermost profiles face away from one another as to suggest a general disharmony at this level. It seems as though it’s only once we’ve transcended the superficial realm of the flesh that we begin to cultivate harmonious and altruistic relationships that embody the philosophy of “In Lak’ech Ala K’in.”

Copper Plate Etching

7.5" x 10"

2013

Engraving

4" x 6"

2015

Stone Lithograph

19” x 26”

2013

In creating this stone lithograph, I was focused on conveying and connecting a number of interrelated ideas regarding Intelligent Design, fractals within nature, and common experiences that all humans share. The theory of Intelligent Design, believing that thoughtless processes such as chance or natural selection cannot explain certain features of the universe, seeks evidence of design in nature in order to demonstrate the existence of a higher, intelligent cause or creator. In designing a visual representation for this relationship between our apparent reality and our creator, I decided to focus primarily on the concept of fractals. I chose fractals because they are visually beautiful, demonstrate a philosophically profound and humbling concept, and usually occur in areas that are all too commonly overlooked. Fractal patterns can be found among clouds, within the veins of leaves, plant structures (ferns, trees, Queen Anne’s lace), snowflakes, lightening, and even within the structuring of mountain ranges. Fractals, best defined as detailed self-similar patterns that repeat infinitely, can be found physically occurring in nature, and the idea of infinite iteration can also be applied to space and time. In this lithograph the nautilus shell, which is the epitome of a naturally occurring fractal, serves as the key symbol for intelligence in the design of the universe, while also representing the infinite cycle of life, death, and rebirth, as well as suggesting the circular nature of time.

            In furthering the idea of life’s phases and circularity, I decided to depict the drumming figure in the back holding both a fetus and a skull. Much like Hinduism’s dancing Shiva, who holds a drum (creation) and fire (destruction), this four-armed figure is displaying these inescapable aspects of being human while maintaining harmony and balance throughout the universe (represented by the surrounding patterns made up of seemingly infinite dots). Spanning from the fetus to the skull is a lunar cycle, intended to further suggest the idea of many phases within life as an infinite journey. The lunar cycle, which is about the same length as the average menstrual cycle, works in conjunction with the fetus to represent the feminine, which is something found within each of us as human beings. On the other hand, the bees surrounding the feminine symbols of fertility represent another key part of all humans, the masculine. In addition to completing the duality of human nature, the bees also relate back to the idea of Intelligent Design in that they build mathematically precise hexagonal shapes.

            The repeated figure drumming serves as a visual representation of the Creator at work, maintaining harmony among all things, in the midst of life and death, through his Divine Rhythm. The drumming also suggests the ticking of time, and the source for the very vibration of all energy that makes the “matter” we perceive.  

Stone Lithograph

20” x 29”

2012

Linoleum Block

16" x 16.5"

2012

Linoleum Block & Monotype

12" x 18"

2013

Sold

Plate Lithograph

2012

18" x 24"
 

Over the fall semester of my junior year, I had the opportunity to take an Eastern Religions class with Dr. Imtiaz Moosa at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. During the course of the semester, the one topic that interested me the most was Hinduism. In this belief system, all living things are unified through their partaking in one supreme reality, an all-encompassing “sea of life”, referred to as Brahman. Therefore, within each individual is a divine center or soul, the Atman. Hinduism’s profound concept of Brahman-Atman believes that instead of relying upon a strictly outside form of divinity for help, we are capable of opening ourselves to inner sources for radiant living; that meditation allows us to access this divine cosmic energy within and channel it in our everyday lives. This belief of self-reliance, and yet of such interconnectedness among all things, especially between the most divine and the self, was very foreign to me. Previously, I had only understood the concept of a Transcendent God, a human-like god who is above and beyond you, who acts as a father figure, and with whom you form a personal bond. I was amazed by this notion of an Immanent God, a relevant yet emotionally removed cosmic energy that is within and around everything that was, is, or has yet to be. The profundity of this concept inspired me to utilize what I had learned in this class to perform further research in order to develop a visual representation of the Brahman-Atman relationship.

Starting at the level of the apparent reality, there are two mirrored figures. This reflection depicts the idea that although mankind is a seemingly diverse body of individuals, we are all the manifestation of the same underlying ultimate reality, thus we are all reflections of one another. In between the figures there are chakra-like forms to represent the Atman, the divine center or soul of each individual. Flowing outwards from this center is the same cosmic energy that powers the rest of all creation and constitutes the supreme reality that unifies each individual with God. The hundreds of tiny circles within circles represent harmony among the vastness and complexity of creation, while the fractal snowflake-like negative space is to hint at a supreme intelligence behind the creation and perpetuation of it all. Inside of this negative space is a triangular shaped pattern, designed to reference Hinduism’s Trimurti, which consists of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer (somewhat relates to the Holy Trinity of Christianity). The greater, all-encompassing figure represents Brahman. Comprising the individual, the universe, and the Trimurti, Brahman is the great unifying and sustaining life force of all being.

Copper Plate Etching

12" x 18"

2012

Edition Sold

Linoleum Block

9" x 15"

2012

Edition Sold

Moku Hanga (Woodblock)

12" x 12"

2014

Linoleum Block

9" x 12"

2012

Drypoint Etching

9" x 12"

2011

Edition Sold