Artist Statement:I have always been fascinated by worlds that don't exist. Science fiction, in particular, has been a major influence on both my interests and my artwork. I truly wish I could actually visit these imagined places, but since I can't, I try to bring pieces of them into our world through my art.I don't limit myself to one medium or process. I work with digital painting, physical drawing, pixel art, miniature painting, 3D modeling, animation, motion graphics, video editing, and sound design. I also enjoy physically building things, including a lightsaber I recently constructed from metal hardware. For me, learning a new medium is another opportunity to figure out how to make something imaginary feel real. My subjects tend to reflect this fascination with other worlds. I've created everything from glowing planets floating in space and crowded cyberpunk streets to an anthropomorphic raccoon detective and a 3D modeled mantis-alligator hybrid that I imagined as a cryptid lurking in the swamps of the Louisiana bayou. Even my more grounded work, such as an anatomical study of a flayed human arm, comes from an interest in understanding how things are constructed so that I can create more believable creatures and characters of my own.While I enjoy drawing and painting, bringing something into three dimensions (or even giving it movement and sound) is especially rewarding to me. There is something satisfying about watching an idea become an object that can be held, a character that can move, or a world that can be seen and heard. It makes the creation feel alive.Ultimately, I want my work to suggest that there is a larger world beyond what the viewer can see. When someone looks at my Mantigator, I want them to imagine what it would be like to stumble across it deep in a Louisiana swamp. When they see my raccoon detective, I want them to wonder about the neon city he lives in and the other strange characters who might inhabit it. My influences include storytellers and worldbuilders such as George Lucas, Mike Pondsmith, Gene Roddenberry, and Drew Karpyshyn, whose work has shown me how memorable characters, technology, environments, and stories can make an imaginary universe feel real. My goal is to do the same through my own work, as I want to create small windows into places I wish I could visit myself.