I am a fan of anything that contradicts itself: nature and expensive diamonds; serious and playful; ugly and pretty. I use off-balance encounters, such as these in my paintings, to create something unexpected and slightly awkward, yet beautiful all at the same time. 

This is representative in my crow series, where I use the famously known “hood rat” of birds — the crow (or raven) – juxtaposed with high-end, glitzy diamonds and gems.

By painting the crows in portrait style, each piece ends up with its own personality and a surreal, dreamlike mood. Upon reflection of several completed pieces, it occurred to me that each crow is somehow representative of different clients that I worked with as my time as a jeweler.