Bio

My work explores what it’s like to be an old soul living in the modern world, and the many contrasts that come with it. Being part of a generation sick with nostalgia, I live in a reality of conflicting interests — classicism and consumerism, authenticity and artificial intelligence, Rubens and Redbull.

In my paintings I create surrealist scenes which juxtapose historical elegance with modern excess, using oil paint to replicate Old Master color palettes and Flemish painting techniques. I gravitate to oil for its historic significance, and because today it challenges the norm — a medium which forces you to slow down in a world obsessed with speed.

The settings and characters of my works feel dreamlike and yet disturbing, isolating the viewer from the events taking place to make them question the relationship between history and the self. There is a lingering sense of déjà vu because we’ve been here before, but the world around us has since changed.

For inspiration I draw heavily from my lifelong interest in European history, Russian literature, and centuries of religious and mythological influences. That way, I can draw the line between everyday elements of the 21st century (from sodas to cell phones) and the romanticized days-gone-by we all find ourselves longing for.