I create art because it's therapeutic and allows me an escape from my world. I'm influenced by some close Artist friends who have encouraged me to pursue painting over the last 10 years. My work is an expression of my life experiences. I ultimately create Art that I like and hope that someone else might enjoy it as well. At a young age, I realized that Art comes naturally to me, it first being manifested by my love of playing music. I began learning the Marimba and Piano at the age of 10 and then added other percussion instruments shortly thereafter. However, drawing and painting were something I didn't even try until I was 34 and my initial attempts were not great but something I really enjoyed. For me, it's one of those activities that requires all of my attention and I was easy lost in that space. I've been in the technology industry for 28 years now and it's difficult to find an escape, so painting became a place I could go and leave everything else behind for a few hours. Learning to draw and paint is just like learning to play an instrument. If you have the desire and some passion for it, you can do it. All you have to do is practice and not let the level of your abilities discourage you. The key is to embrace the progress, be it slow or fast, and just keep doing it. I love painting abstract because for me it's the ultimate freedom of creativity. I'm not bound by any given reference, instead, I'm lead by inspiration and imagination. Experimenting with new techniques also brings new methods of expression that ultimately end up in my work and hopefully brings someone else joy.