What I enjoy about painting pictures is the ability to create a world never before seen, a place with its own rules, values and characters. The elements in my paintings are based on real world objects; trees, flowers, animals, people, etc. What excites me as an artist is combining these real-world elements and presenting them in a surreal atmosphere in a way that makes the viewer stop and ponder, “what is going on here?” As a person I try not to take myself too seriously and this attitude flavors my work. If I can elicit a smile from an observer, or perhaps a sense of wonder, I have accomplished what I set out to do, and also entertained myself in the process.