Acrylic paint allows for fast working times, bold marks, and vibrant colors making it an obvious choice for an artist who enjoys speed and efficiency. This is reflected in my acrylic works through the juxtaposition of loose abstraction, and cold blooded attention to detail. From a technical perspective, it allows for an intuitive and forgiving painting experience while being safe to use in the home, around family, and around pets. With the arts proximity to the intimate workings of the home, a sense of vulnerability, love, and softness is present in the art. This puts the easel close to the dinner table, to the bedroom, the movie night, or over by the cat tree and dog bed. It brings the art out of the intellectual space of the mind and into the emotional place of the heart. This is how I think of acrylic paint; it's a material meant for the heart, soul, and the home.

Ambient in nature, my abstract works represent the fleeting feelings and that which is difficult to put into words. Many forms of expression are celebrated for their precise nature, their articulation, or their realism, but these works are focused on subtly, nuance, and meaning that does not need to be described.

As an artist, I am fascinated by the concept of demons and the way they have been portrayed throughout history and various cultures. To me, demons represent the darker aspects of people, our negative emotions, and our desires manifested in strange, playful, and unsettling forms. I do not think of demons as agents of evil but instead as agents of free will. They are indulgence, impulse, chaos, and belligerence.

With this series, I explore many aesthetic ideas of the demon, from the classic horned and fanged creatures to more abstract and surreal interpretations. I am not just trying to capture their image but also their energy, motivations, and behaviors. The demons are not meant to seem like intruders or interlopers to the human world but instead as co inhabitants.

Digital art has been a constant and reliable tool for my art making for as long I can remember. Born 1995, some of my earliest creative memories involved the original MS Paint and Microsoft word art, accompanied by an infinite stream of digital media ranging from TV cartoons to early CGI in movies to the strange and unforgettable online content of pre youtube internet like Homestar Runner or Happy Tree Friends.

As I grew older and my art making became more advanced, I began to incorporate digital tools both as a utilitarian resource and as an aesthetic end. I feel that is a natural part of my ecosystem and a part of my own creative process that I consider neither original, cutting edge, or revolutionary. The digital influence is inescapable and welcome.

One of my major digital art projects include, "The Brian Huntress Tarot Deck," (2018). The project included original interpretations of the 78 popularly known tarot cards based on the theory and writing of the Rider Waite Tarot Deck. This project received international recognition through its kickstarter crowdfunding campaign reaching backers all over the United States, Europe, and Australia. Secondhand copies of the Tarot deck have become a rare collectors item appearing in auctions on Ebay, Etsy, and other ecommerce websites.

My digital art became a major part of my life at the beginning of the 2020 COVID 19 quarantine. I was forced to isolate myself from my art, my community, and my friends as I was working in a large shared studio with many other artists. My oil paints and brushes went into storage as the long haul of quarantine began. Lost in a fog of anxiety and boredom, I turned to my digital drawing program and tablet to keep me occupied. I turned to my network on Facebook and Instagram and asked my community for current photographs of themselves for me to draw. With my lifelong experience online, these tools were more than familiar. This became my Quarantine Portrait Series, 78 digital paintings of friends, family, and random strangers who reached out to me with the hope of connection. They got back beautiful images of themselves. In a time where so many felt lost, alienated, and alone, I tried to give one small group of people a little bit of happiness through my art.

From tarot cards to intimate portraits to the odd show flyer or commission, I am a lifelong digital artist and citizen of the digital world. I love to paint, draw, and experience the tactile world of physical art materials but I will never shake the familiarity, fun, and childhood attachment to the digital drawing program and digital media in general.

In the COVID 19 lockdown of 2020, I teamed up with artist Theodora Earthwurms to do a number of drawing challenges to keep our minds active, our skills sharp, or our minds connected. We called these challenges, 'The Intensives.' There were three in total. The first one called for 50 drawings of a human hand in graphite, all drawn from life to be completed in two weeks. The second one consisted of 50 figure drawings. The last one called for 50 watercolor pieces of exclusively fictional scenes i.e. images that did not come from reference photos, real life examples, or real people; this one we called, 'The Watercolor Intensive.'

We completed these three projects while touching base and discussing the process over the phone. This brought us out of the mental fog of quarantine, got us away from our screens, and brought us closer together as artists and as people.

In the COVID 19 lockdown of 2020, I teamed up with artist Theodora Earthwurms to do a number of drawing challenges to keep our minds active, our skills sharp, or our minds connected. We called these challenges, 'The Intensives.' There were three in total. The first one called for 50 drawings of a human hand in graphite, all drawn from life to be completed in two weeks. The second one consisted of 50 figure drawings. The last one called for 50 watercolor pieces of exclusively fictional scenes i.e. images that did not come from reference photos, real life examples, or real people; this one we called, 'The Watercolor Intensive.'

We completed these three projects while touching base and discussing the process over the phone. This brought us out of the mental fog of quarantine, got us away from our screens, and brought us closer together as artists and as people.

The mixed media art making process is one of the most effective and interesting ways of conveying complex and layered meanings in my art. The use of multiple materials and techniques allows for a greater range of expression and experimentation, and enable me to explore my ideas and themes in more depth.

In an allegoric sense, mixed media art can represent the diversity and complexity of the human experience. Just as we are made up of many different facets and experiences, a mixed media artwork can combine a variety of materials and techniques to create a rich tapestry of meaning.

In another sense, mixed media art can evoke a sense of mystery and wonder through the unexpected juxtaposition of materials and techniques. The artist may combine contrasting elements such as soft and hard, light and dark, or organic and synthetic to create a sense of tension and harmony in the work.

I use a vast ensemble of mediums in my mixed media works including acrylic paint, oil paint, oil pastels, dry pastels, charcoal, graphite, clay, twine, linen, canvas, wood, spray paint, spray foam insulation, and many more. I have a deep connection to all materials I use and I acquaint myself to new ones all of the time through experimentation and play.

My father was a welder working out of our garage while I was growing up. He worked on a variety of home and industrial projects including motorcycle creation, fence building, and metal sculpture. I was rarely allowed into his work space but I would often sneak in after his work day ended. There I would play with all of the tools, materials, paints, and steal his cigars. I would even sit on his motorcycle and imagine myself riding it. Through this clandestine mischief, I developed a love for experimentation with industrial materials which is why my art making includes both traditional art making materials and industrial construction materials.

Mixed media artwork is my most natural mode of expression in a utilitarian sense, an allegoric sense, and in the way that it connects to my past and my family.

One of my major digital art projects include, "The Brian Huntress Tarot Deck," (2018). The project included original interpretations of the 78 popularly known tarot cards based on the theory and writing of the Rider Waite Tarot Deck. This project received international recognition through its kickstarter crowdfunding campaign reaching backers all over the United States, Europe, and Australia. Secondhand copies of the Tarot deck have become a rare collectors item appearing in auctions on Ebay, Etsy, and other ecommerce websites.

Label 228 is a type of sticker used the United States Postal Service for labeling packages with their mailing address. The USPS has supplied these stickers for free since their inception either by the USPS website or at Post Office locations. The Label 228 has become widely used in sticker art and graffiti because of its widespread availability, durability, and strong, adhesive qualities.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Label_228

In the COVID 19 lockdown of 2020, I teamed up with artist Theodora Earthwurms to do a number of drawing challenges to keep our minds active, our skills sharp, or our minds connected. We called these challenges, 'The Intensives.' There were three in total. The first one called for 50 drawings of a human hand in graphite, all drawn from life to be completed in two weeks. The second one consisted of 50 figure drawings. The last one called for 50 watercolor pieces of exclusively fictional scenes i.e. images that did not come from reference photos, real life examples, or real people; this one we called, 'The Watercolor Intensive.'

We completed these three projects while touching base and discussing the process over the phone. This brought us out of the mental fog of quarantine, got us away from our screens, and brought us closer together as artists and as people.