A VISION THROUGH IMAGINATION

Why Films They Asked?

There was a time when I used to believe that photographs (and subsequently photographers) were to be seen and not heard. A little voice inside me used to say “doesn’t the magic disappear if you talk about it?”

But when the opportunity came to talk about what feeds my imagination, it got me thinking that perhaps the vital nature of our journeys is a story worth talking about — to give a nod to how and why the movies and comics of my youth have been some of my greatest and most important influences in my life and my picture-making.

Why Comics They Asked?

I’ve been reading comics since I was a little boy and they are a big part of who I am. And while I may have a collection numbering into the thousands, it is ‪The Adventures of Tintin‬, the comic series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé that is my favorite. Tintin is a reporter and adventurer who travels around the world with his dog Snowy — and their adventures are what I always wanted to have.

I’m an only child, and like a lot of only children, I grew up inventing my own worlds in my head. I’ve always been a daydreamer and through these comic adventures, I was able to travel the world.

And while it is now my own projects that take me on real-life adventures to new places, expose me to new ideas and perspectives, and reveal new characters to me – it is still the voice of Tintin that continues to inspire me to keep looking for the beauty in the unfamiliar — his “You hit a wall, you push through it” my siren song.

Why Characters They Asked?

Because my dad was a university art professor and my mom a freethinker, I often found myself around the dinner table surrounded by an eclectic cast of characters — sculptors, writers, painters, creatives. They paraded through my childhood, shaping my art foundation as well as forming an understanding of a community and an appreciation for the candid beauty found in people from all walks of life.

I’ve kind of been chasing characters ever since. I like to tell their stories through their faces, their bodies, even their costumes.