Don't look to these words for concrete evidence of my execution of a perfect artist statement, or one which will never need to be changed, as I see in many near futures heading back into this and changing it all kinds of ways.  An artist's statement changes, does it not? 

Former artist statements of mine have brandished my style with the feeling for unplanned plans, scattered works of art which seemed to progress as if they had minds of their own, rather than my ownership of, and I must say over, them.  One artist statement I wrote once said that it was in my absence of style I felt "more comfortable to roam and test and explore," that, my lacking of style was my style...an artist'll say anything to justify himself, to himself, won't he?  And while my list of influences hasn't varied much as of late, I must amend these former statements in this way: I am becoming much more comfortable as I sense a great evolutionary step in my creative process and thinking--it's right around the corner.  That absence of style I embraced and ran with for so long has weirdly led me down a path toward new beginnings with my art. 

Thus, I have developed a label (yeah labels suck, right?) for my art.  Send criticism of it if you wish, but please, make it constructive.  Here we go...Illustrative Educated Folk Art.  Illustrative because, let's face it: I'm more of an illustrator than fine artist, although I like to think I am capable of pulling off some realistic stuff, this is what I do.  And Educated folk art because folk art by definition is art made by folks without formal training, or having been taught ever, and who trained themselves.  I have received that higher education, though minute to some, at Georgia State University's Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design, an institution whose studios were learning havens for me, and therefore I am educated through the halls of Academia in the arts.  Finally, folk art because for years viewers of my work have said I have a folky, or folk art, appeal.  I probably denied it at first, but there's no denying it anymore--I see it myself.  And I want to make it clear to the reader that I am not in any way demeaning my own art or style--folk art, American Folk Art, is a brilliant genre composed of many brilliant minds.  And I want to make this clear as well: I will make my own art, and it will always be mine, label or no label, so I insist that, while the folk art label is relevant here, I am not a folk artist, but rather, an Illustrative Educated Folk Artist.  :)  An artist'll say anything to justify himself, to himself, won't he?

the Jimi Hendrix pose