My painting style began in the spirit of the New York School. However over time, stencils, particularly letters starting creeping their way into compositions. For years I used text strictly for their graphic elements. I knew that eventually messages would make their way in but I waited until it was a visceral thing rather than forced or cliche. Like my oil pastels, I tend to shift between a more brushwork style or the use of stencils. All paintings however are quite layered, working intuitively. (I am a little embarrassed to say that I have many minimally used sketchbooks). I use brushes, palette knives, brayers, sanding blocks, and even squeegees until the painting tells me it’s done.