There are many ways to treat art. Some people want art to represent something, to achieve a deeper meaning through symbolism. For some, art is meant to be representational; for others, conceptual. Some are primarily interested in aethetics, with the goal being beauty, while others have no concern for aethetics and only want to get people thinking.

 

For me, art is about joy.

 

Life can be messy. Sometimes it gets confusing, and it can be difficult to make sense of everything. Art is, for me, a way to step back and remember why I love life in the first place. My ultimate goal with art is to share this joy with others, to create things of value and meaning. It doesn't all have to be symbolic or representational. It can be completely abstract. But if art can lift someone's spirits, I consider that the highest compliment to its success.

 

For that reason, I am especially drawn to religious art. I have a deep faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ, which is the most important force in my life. Religious art, when it is made with power, emotion, and conviction, has an incredible way of bringing that strength back into the forefront of my memory.

 

I don't expect everyone to treat either faith or art in the same way, but to me they are intertwined and inseperable. To understand one is to understand the other. In order to properly introduce my artwork, I feel the faith must be addressed.

 

Some of my other artistic influences, in no particular order, are as follows:

 

• J. Kirk Richards — a spectacular oil-painter who lives and works in Utah; he does incredible things with religious imagery, and his work brings to mind two of my favorite artistic eras: Italian renaissance and impressionism

• Ansel Adams — the classic American landscape photographer, who helped to elevate photography into a genuine art form

• Garry Winogrand — his photojournalistic style exemplifies the saying, "a picture is a thousand words", with layers of story in every image

• my mother, Lee Cox Preston — she taught me much of what I know, in both the faith and the art, and is an incredible photographer herself

• Bertel Thorvaldsen — the great Danish Neoclassist; read more at my page about Thorvaldsen's work

• Georgia O'Keeffe — though she is most famous for her flowers, what speaks to me are her New Mexico landscapes; they are worth looking into

• Can Bayram — an incredible contemporary photographer, who takes a range of landscapes, portraits, and architectural shots, and is a significant influence in my own photographic style