I enjoy drawing things that are epic. The dictionary definition of the term is anything that’s “particularly impressive or remarkable.” I consider pieces of art, music, movies, animations, and stories epic when they fill me with adrenaline, give me chills, evoke powerful emotions, seize the forefront of my attention, and inspire me to create my own artwork. Most of the art which stirs these emotions are found in digital media, which I relate to aesthetically more than traditional visual art pieces or novels. My goal is to create digital and audio art that evokes the same epic feelings in my audience as my favorite works do in me.

​One of my greatest influences is the boundless galaxy found in Star Wars and the various archetypes featured in Japanese anime. Star Wars was the initial springboard into my fascination with future technologies and the concept of a hero’s journey. The stories found in Japanese animated series such as Dragon Ball Z, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, My Hero Academia and Fairy Tail cemented my interest of the hero’s journey archetype which has become my preferred story arc. The graphic novel form of Japanese Anime, Manga, is the main influence for my art style.

The forms are simple, and sometimes exaggerated. They move away from realism but still maintain a sense of the human form unlike most characters found in American cartoons. One of my goals has been to adapt this style with the absence of line. In Adobe Photoshop, I’m able to sketch out the figure using a pen tablet on one layer, then color and shade on separate layers above it. Shading is what I primarily use to create form and depth without the use of lines like a traditional drawing. The best way to think of it is like digital painting. Each new layer allows for more to be added but it’s much cleaner and more forgiving in the event of mistakes. Most of the prints in this show have over one hundred layers, consisting of multiple shading and lighting effects.