Drawing & Painting

I use natural dyes and pigments on raw textiles. I use these materials because the colors and textures on the surface fade and change over time. These time-based elements function as drawings and paintings that reference the bright color that once was. I investigate the process of creating pigments and using UV exposure to fade the color and develop my image. As time progresses the fabric frays and the colors shift from exposure to ambient UV light. I employ the use of chemical processes and time to create a work of art that destroys itself while it creates an image. The materials harvested from the landscape demonstrate the ability to function like a landscape when used for mark making. Every specific color reflects the landscape it comes from and represents the culture that utilizes it. Each color displays a specific purpose in the landscape. I invite the viewer to experience the work as it is or was. As the work gradually fades and changes, the viewer will see another living iteration of the piece. Sunlight, as it sculpts the plants in nature; it also functions as a material that develops my image.

My area of research is Natural Dyes and Pigments and their contemporary and historical context within culture. I am a collector of texts regarding the production of pigments in a controlled environment, or produced commercially. 

I am currently producing an archive of home-made Graffiti ink recipes that are created for their outdoor permanence and resistance to UV light. 

• Founder of The Natural Pigment Community on Reddit

• Dye Natural Pigments: Long Beach Public Library Collection

Animation

Machinima Animation. Machinima is the combination of two words: Machine, and Cinema. I work in 3D graphics, video game engines, audio and video. I draw inspiration from video game modification and online gaming culture. I am inspired by the creativity of constructivst narratives. I employ the use of creative coding, digital media and video games to produce surreal environments and interactive experiences. 

I opened an interactive online experience within DAY-Z named OUTBREAK. OUTBREAK included an array of curated modifications and featured full conversion of the virtual environment. I organized loot tables and gifted players rare materials. Nearly 200 participants attended in a 6 month period. The premise of this event, was for players to engage with a simulated survival situation. Participants were rewarded for collaborating with one another. OUTBREAK simulates a dramatic event in which 'Survivors' are given an option to collaborate or become aggressive with each other. These simulated events draw parallels to real economic situations in which powerful 'players' project meaning and significance through survival. 

Learn more about my modding projects here

Writing

Author of THB: The Heavy Bombardment.