I grew up in the widely talked about state of North Dakota. I fell in love with making art in the meditative boredom of car rides, being trapped in doors during the bone chilling winters, and in science classes. I rose to fame in middle school as the “Art Kid,” where I became a devotee to the wonder of Surrealism. In high school, I was the artist-wrestler. Wrestling set the standard for how to be disciplined and self-reflective. I got my Bachelors in Fine Arts, left my religion, then I moved out of my hometown to get my Masters in Studio Arts. I had the choice between my favorite choice, RISD, or a choice that wouldn’t give me 130,000 dollars of debt and had mountains in its backyard. At the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, I likewise became engrossed in the politics of images unintentionally and the underlying philosophy of images intentionally. I have been known to make bizarre dreamscapes, controversial images, and a few of beauty — or at least I hope. Beginning with my graduate school thesis I returned to my impactful upbringing as a Catholic. Since then I progressively returned to my faith. I have always loved the great artists from the High Renaissance and Baroque as well as Surrealists. For the past few years a couple of my primary influences have been Hieronymus Bosch and Peter Paul Rubens. I am considering writing about my journey ideologically from undergrad to the present and how that is connected to different art movements. If you’d like to see that article come to life let me know with a comment below!