FAQ#3 "Why did you change your style?"

Just a quick post. I get asked alot of questions. Probably the 3rd most popular is "Why'd you change your style from what you did in the 80's and early 90's?". I think what people mean is why did I drop using an airbrush, almost overnight. An airbrush is a device by which air pressure is pumped through a small gun with a needle and this pushes a cupload of paint to the needle tip and aerosolizes it. At one time it was the "thing" everyone used. It produced a highly polished finish to pieces, sometimes seamless and, textureless. Alot of people created nebulae and galaxies with it. Alot of this same look can be more successfully done on a computer to jaw-dropping results.

For me, I did all that. Then a few things happened. First, I started feeling like I lost the ability to "connect" with my work, the tactile feel of a canvas is something I crave. It all looked the same and had this sometimes weird "fuzzy" feel to it. I was reminded of the sides of those cheesy 1970's recreation vans that were all gloss and pink shag carpeting inside. The other thing and most important, were health concerns. I found myself developing an unwanted "cough" similiar to a smoker's cough and I was getting something like five colds or bronchial infections a year!
Then I read about an airbrush artist who died of a emphyzema because his lungs had all aerosolized acrylic paint in them. Sure there are devices to stop the dust, but when you get to that point...why bother?

So about 1997 I started painting and, I mean...really painting. Connecting with the art and canvas...and it felt emotionally great. Also, my colds went away!! In fact the last time I had a bad bronchial bug was in May 2005 and that was thanks to a long jet trip. And the work looks better, my emotions connect with it, and I seem to be learning more and more every single time I work, rather than repeat the same old thing. It comes down to art is exploration and evolution and that's what keeps it exciting.