All of the pieces in this second series of pastel on sheetrock are based on human figures from memory. I did not use a model or a picture to paint from. Most of the pieces are based on people that I know personally and a few of them are based on scenes of people that I have imagined in my mind. I just used the human figure or scene as an outline. I actually don’t know how to draw so I really had to feel out how I wanted to paint these figures or scenes. I challenged myself to bring out something more concrete and not so abstract. I really wanted to capture these figures and scenes how I felt them. I let whatever happened happen in the moment while I was working on a particular piece, and of course did some touching up after.

In September 2015, I visited the Dia Art Foundation in Beacon, NY. Out of all the artwork there, I really connected to the works of Sol Lewitt and Richard Serra. I just remember looking at their work and feeling this great sense of expansion within myself. These would be the first two artists to really inspire me to create something of my own.

On the ride home from Dia, I came up with the idea of using pastel on sheetrock. I could just feel the pastel moving on the sheetrock as I was envisioning it. A couple of weeks later I picked up some pastels and an 8ft by 4ft piece of sheetrock and I was off.