I was born in a log cabin in Pennsylvania.
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and graduated from Ursinus College with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry in 2015, moving to Lansdale shortly thereafter.
One fateful night my now-wife and I found ourselves on a journey of self-exploration. At the on-set of this adventure we decided to put on The Joy of Painting. After about the fourth episode I realized what was going on, and I was enraptured! I ended up watching the entire first season on Netflix, and when you’re told for 13 hours straight you CAN do something, you really start to believe it. I went out later the next day and bought my first set of oil paints and a canvas.
This was the result:
I painted various “Bob Ross’s” over the next couple of years, but was also working my day job as a scientist.
For four years I climbed the ranks of our small contract research organization from analyst to scientist, developing the skills to oversee studies as a Principal Investigator and General Supervisor of our Clinical Lab (which I helped create during my time with the company!)
I decided to leave the land of small molecules in 2019 to make sure I’d have enough time to get trained in large molecule sample analysis before the world shut down. As of 2024 I’m going on my fifth year as a Senior Scientist at a new company, conducting routine peptide map analysis of various proteins.
Somewhere around the time I moved to Birdsboro, I started playing around with acrylics, spray paints, and other mediums. It didn’t take long before the garage in our backyard was converted into a full time art studio. I quickly became acquainted with daddy longlegs and mosquitos. I don’t mind the ladybugs that show up every spring, but I could do without the stink bugs. My studio, to date, is my largest on-going piece of art. It needs some updates, (like sealing it off from the aforementioned pests), but there will always be mud, leaves and a little bit of grass. I often work outside next to the studio when weather permits, so there’s a good chance these paintings actually contain some real nature. But to me, Pennsylvania dirt is worth more than California gold.
Art can be a form of therapy. Everyone needs ways to relieve stress, and this is one of my outlets. Not much makes me happier than walking into my studio, motivated to create, throwing on some music, getting into the right mind-set, and falling into “the zone”. A place where the paint mixes into the colors you see behind your eyes and lays effortlessly. The words to a favorite song spilling out of your mouth unexpectedly during a moment of respite. Or a head-banging, foot stomping, seemingly choreographed movement that takes over your body, forcing you to take a step back and actually look at the piece you’re creating. And to breathe.
But it’s not always like that. Sometimes you just need to throw paint. Or bash an empty paint bottle (that you’ve already stomped on a bunch) against the dry wall until it becomes a permanent installation. I’ve pulled muscles shaking spray paint too vigorously raging to a Subtronics set. One of my canvases has been aggressively nailed to the studio wall. Feelings don’t always make sense even if they’re valid, so it’s important to have a place where you can express them safely.
If you peruse the website you will see many different styles and paintings. Some you’ll like… some you won’t. Some you’ll look at and say, “I could do that!”... and that’s true! There’s some weird stuff in there... Some abstract. Some landscapes. Some… both? Some that look like stickers, words, images, or jokes. Pieces inspired by the works of other artists. Pieces inspired by the shapes and forms nature takes. There are pieces created on a whim, with no fore-thought or meaning placed behind them. Succeeding only in allowing me to turn my brain off for the duration of the creation. Others with hours of preparation and execution, and a story to boot. Some that started out with no clear view, but developed into something with deeper meaning. All straight from the mind of the creator.
I’ve been creating for a while and have plenty to show for it, but I want to grow in this world just as I’ve done over the past 10 years as a scientist. Life is too long to not try something new. Which is why you’re seeing this website! Having carved out this little space on the Internet to display my work feels like a goal already accomplished. It also means I’m going to sporadically jump from medium to medium, creating what I want when I’m able to. There’ll be times I hyperfixate on a certain style, and create A LOT, and there’ll be other times I go dark for a few weeks (or months). I don’t really follow a timeline, besides “life”. Don’t worry though, I have two amazing associates to ensure prompt responses and shipping times.
Thank you for taking the time to look through and support my art.
- The Painting Scientist
“Quotes can be really influential if you can convince enough people.” - The Painting Scientist