One of the oldest problems that face artists is the question of whether to create pieces that will please everyone, or to disregard audience and work to please him or herself. When working on commission, pleasing the buyer is my priority. In my commissioned work, I use the knowledge that there is a universal idea of correct and "good" that I strive for. I consider working to someone else's specifications and taste a rewarding challenge. The illustrations I created for commission exhibit all the skill and care I gained through years of training.

Conversely, when I work for myself, my agenda is much different -- I am just painting what is beautiful to me, with no one else to answer to. They are infused with my own passion, artistic vision and sense of "play." Watching a piece evolve almost of its own accord is one of the most compelling and rewarding aspects of being an artist. I respect the old masters and if I could come close to their skill and magic, then I would feel successful.

In the end, being an artist is a solitary business. I have often struggled with this in the past, but now I see that there is no other mind I can truly know but my own. I would love to create art that has a positive impact, eliciting recognition of beauty or a rapturous response from a wide audience. However, I realize I have no control over that outcome.

If a viewer is not visually stimulated by a piece of my art, especially one that I find compelling, that doesn't mean I will see it as less valid, beautiful or important. I wasted many years trying to second-guess what other people liked and that diluted my own sense of what I was trying to accomplish through art. What originally drew me to the field was its subjective nature -- there is no right or wrong, the opinion belongs to everyone, and no two people will ever judge alike. That is how it should be. If I think my work is good, there is truth in that belief, and no one can discount it.

What you see in my art is up to you. I know what I like and admire, and I know my own strengths with artistic mediums. When I work, I create pieces that feel right to me on a purely aesthetic level. My upcoming show is titled "Subject doesn't Matter" because I am against "conceptual" work that tells the viewer what the work is about. I feel that if a work must have an explanation to be appreciated, then the piece is ineffective. Visual art should transcend its literal statement; the emotional response should be subjective, personal and undefinable. Beauty, by my definition, is my aim.