Though I have lived most of life using the analytical side of myself, I have found art to be the best way to work through complex feelings and expression. For me this has taken two main forms – drawings and poetry. Most of these, especially the poems are in my notebooks from over the years, but I have grown comfortable enough to share a few poems on my substack, though I may migrate them to this site soon.
Currently, all my drawings are encapsulated in a single project – Drawn From Pain – which started simply enough as a way to begin to process combat related PTSD and childhood issues.
Drawn From Pain
Artist Statement: I’m an Iraq War (and other operations) Veteran using drawing to process what war leaves behind — in the body, the mind, and spirit. Working primarily in pencil, pen, and charcoal, I use mark-making to process personal and referred trauma. I also experiment with mixed media by layering traditional drawing over digital imagery, allowing emotion, energy, and instinct to shape the outcome. My work isn’t polished or resolved; it’s an ongoing act of making sense and trying to let go. I draw not to explain, but to uncover. Themes of trauma, identity, fragmentation, and recovery run through the work — though sometimes, it’s just about breathing through the next line.
Please be aware that this is primarily trauma art and may be unsettling. Plus it probably won’t be to your taste 🙂
Selected works can be viewed at the Veteran Art Institute.
All the mess can seen on Instagram. (some post contain strong language and opinions, don’t go there if you have thin skin)
Featured in the exhibit “The Human Condition” in December 2025 at The Lab on Santa Fe in Denver Colorado.
