I remember hearing the filmmaker David Lynch say that ideas were just kind of out there floating like words, dreams or thoughts capable of popping into his head. He didn’t know exactly how it all worked he just had kind of a sense about it. He seemed to me a little inadequate and unassuming when talking about where the ideas for his stories came from. I appreciated his honesty. The origin of ideas is mysterious to be sure and talking about it can be a daunting task indeed. It can tempt us to be enigmatic and pretentious. I am reminded of an art critic who’s name I can’t remember, stating that all too often artists when talking about their work get long winded, become terribly convoluted and can on occasion tend to be rather pretentious and use lots of fragments and run on sentences. I sometimes think that too.

I suspect for me the “light of idea” comes primarily from my relationships. The spiritual, physical and emotional relationships I experience as a person. My relationship with God, my wife and children, parents, brothers, friends and the casual or not so casual acquaintance inspire the work I meditate on and create. Therefore, my work is really portraits, letters, prayers and thoughts that seek to address a particular, and sometimes universal truth about the condition and story of human relations.

There is a passage in the Bible that says, “from the mouth the heart speaks”. I believe this to be true. I also think that what I make is an expression of my heart and who I am. It becomes part of me and allows me to reflect on my life, my thoughts, my feelings, and understand them more fully. It tells a story. I hope others will enjoy it and ponder it.