In some of my images, the form is being consumed by rust, metal, ores and stone. This represents modern pressures of life. The metal, for instance, is a symbol of technology. It’s about us becoming overly mechanized.

I want people to feel a sense of hope regardless the constraining aspects of the image. I want people to experience the duality through contrast. For example, think about a candle. A candle doesn’t shine bright in the daylight. If you’re creating an image of a candle, the setting must be dark for you to know that a candle is glowing. There’s a contrast in the oppressive nature of darkness and the hopeful nature light. In some ways you can see one without the other. You have to go into the darkness and reveal difficulties in order to portray hope or light. Often, this is about the liberation of the spirit or the liberation of the character. Creatively, it’s about seeing potential.

For me, it’s obvious that what is beautiful to one person is not necessarily beautiful to another. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it’s something that you can give to the beholder through art. There are ways that a work of art can make people feel a certain way. An artist should be conscious of how they’re manipulating the viewer. My intention, no matter what I’m doing, is for people to respond by experiencing beauty.