When it comes to creating an image, I try to achieve many things before I consider an image finished. More often than not, this means putting it away for a while and looking at it again after a period of time has passed. As some images can be all-consuming, it is very easy to continually make changes and to overwork it; then, as an artist, you can get lost with the idea of the art piece itself and bogged down in the process of it.

One of the biggest concerns I have is with regard to color and composition. I step away from my art to view it from a distance. I want my art to gain a person's attention from afar and to draw that person in—a case of capture, then captivate. Sometimes I want a minimalist piece, as in the case of "Big Bend" on the Landscape page, that remains simple; and sometimes I want it flooded with detail, such as the "Cosmic Wizard" on the Fantasy and Imagination page. There is even a hidden cat in that image.

When it comes to producing landscapes, I always try to not only capture the beauty or the essence of the world we live in, but to remember that this world is essentially Gaia; to represent something that is living, there must be a sign of life. Adding animals, such as horses in fields or birds in the sky, etc., not only adds the all-important focal point but brings life to the picture. Much of the time I resist putting people in them, as I am always reminded that people do more to destroy the planet than they do to cherish it and care for it. Sad but true.

I will try, when I get time, to give some relevant thoughts to some of the images so that they can be viewed, understood, or critiqued fairly by those that view them. As much as I believe art should be measured by the eye of the beholder, it is a lot easier to judge a specific piece if it veers away from realism to being surreal for a specific reason. The best example from my works to illustrate this point would be when looking at "Darwin," which is featured on the Abstract page. Why is he holding a crocodile in one hand, and why a pink flamingo in the other? There is a reason. And why is he wearing a suit. There is another reason. I am a creationist who views the manner of all things as having a divine purpose and an intricate, purposeful design, so this piece presents a tongue-in-cheek mocking of evolution as being the greatest magic trick that ever happened by chance, or as some would say, necessity. I do concede though that I could be wrong. Given enough time a crocodile could possibly evolve into a pink flamingo - who is to say how much time is needed just because it hasn't happened yet.

Sometimes it can be interesting to know the artist's intention, and sometimes it can be even more interesting to try to understand. Possibly the best example of this is when looking at arguably the world's most famous artwork, "Mona Lisa." Is it a portrait of a female? Some would suggest that it is deliberately androgynous. In the case of this painting, I believe not knowing is what makes it more powerful.

Sometimes it is also nice just to know the inspiration that brought about an image. A recent piece of mine called "Songweaver," which can be seen on the Fantasy & Imagination page, came about because of my recent and all-new experience of songwriting. Poetry had always been my forte, but now that we have digital music programs available, I am now able to explore another medium that was previously unavailable to me. This also wasn't a conscious decision to explore this new medium; it came about by chance. My wife and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary and I wanted to give her something special, so I wrote a song hoping to convey that 15 years still wasn't enough. A way of saying I want more, that it will never be enough. Hence, the end result was the song "Never Enough." Which also brings me to a further point about my art, which has been noticeable to me in both my songwriting and my images: variations or versions of the same image or song. Some images have both a portrait and landscape version as occasionally I have trouble deciding which version I prefer.

In the case of my songs, I sometimes have either a slightly different version, like a gospel choir addition, or go completely all-in with a version of a different genre of music—such as in the case of "Never Enough," where there is both a ballad version and a reggae version. Not only can this be quite fun, but experimentation can often yield not only interesting results, but can uncover something creatively new. As well as adding depth to an artist's repertoire, it can also give us new directions to explore. We can uncover or discover new things about ourselves and new things about the medium we are exploring.

With all that said, I will now leave you to explore and enjoy (hopefully!).