The Perpetual Summer series is largely driven by my time spent enjoying the surf and skate culture that drives a great deal of the energy of Los Angeles, where it is nearly always beautiful weather, and we can enjoy being outdoors year-round. Inspired by the beauty of the sea and sky, the rippling waves, and sometimes the nearby vegetation, my color palette is also influenced by the Art Deco architecture of Miami Beach. Brilliant turquoise and shades of blue contrast sandy neutrals and pastels for a unique and peaceful kind of beauty. I was also a bit influenced by the 1980’s painter Patrick Nagel, who finessed his palette by using a minimal number of colors and few lines to create a stylized and very recognizable signature look for his work.

My subject matter in this series is also narrow – sometimes including people surfing or enjoying the water, and usually featuring iconic images or landmarks, like the Venice lifeguard stations. As this is my newest series and the one I enjoy working on the most at this time, it will likely continue and evolve into other fun summer activities. I am always collecting inspiration and storing memories to use for future reference. I have also begun playing with perspective and working on creating another signature technique through the effect of distortion, as if you are looking at some images through a fisheye lens. I’m going to continue exploring that approach occasionally as I think it makes my work very recognizable.