Art connects us wordlessly to the whole world, and I feel blessed though the gift of my art. This gift has given me the ability to see the world through the eyes of strangers.
It is this understanding I have reached down through the years and miles of travel which has inspired my latest and I believe most important artistic exploration: Love & Peace.
I have watched and taken part in traditions across the globe, from those found in the bustle of bright cities to ancient rituals in quiet villages at the edges of maps. Each experience leaves me so grateful, filling me with inspiration and breathing the magic of life into my paintings and sculptures.
By striving to capture these feelings, scenes, and traditions in my work, I am praising the fantastic diversity of cultures that colour our planet.
Through years and miles of travel, I have discovered that the most important aspects of civilisation--the things that define our human existence--transcend borders. The traditional values we hold in places of honor, like 'family', 'home', 'community', 'peace', and 'love', can be found thriving among all people, from the mountains of Japan to the savannahs of Africa.
I am lucky to have so many unique homes in my history, so many people from varied walks of life to call my family and friends. I live my life with open eyes and an open heart because I wish to celebrate what I have seen and share it with others through my art.
But without each of its strings, we cannot know the beautiful potential for harmony contained within a violin; without all of its notes, a melody will not rise and move our hearts. In my own work, I know that each daub or stroke of paint is a necessary piece of the whole. This, too, is how I see the world: life is a vibrant, shining thing woven out of so many colored threads, dyed by the differences and details that make each culture so captivating.
It is the inherent nature of people--being both so unique and so familiar--that helped bring Love & Peace to life across the globe.
In it, I seek to speak to the precious worth of all in the language of wonder, beyond words. If we are to see a future in which our dreams of love and peace prevail, we must embrace all of the world's shades and hues, for their splendor can only be truly appreciated together, as miraculous parts of the big picture.