Necklace: Druzy (I love that name!) found at a gem show.

So, you are an artist, right?

Yes. I paint. Mostly.

What kind of painting do you do? Figurative? Abstract?

A little bit of everything. My current series is semi-abstract. Big, bright colors, really big paintings, a lot of texture, kind of like an outer space theme.

Sweet. That sounds amazing.

(Laughs.) You can’t go wrong.

And do you show in San Francisco?

I’m working on it. Here and there. I want to get a more cohesive show going.

Are you from here?

I’m from the Bay Area, yeah. I live here (San Francisco) now.

Who are the artists that are rocking your world right now?

Actually, I’m reading a book about the Dadaists.

Hence the space theme?

(Laughs.) No, this came before that. I know [The Dadaists] are kind of not contemporary, but they really did form so much of what’s going on now. They influenced so much that I was not even aware of, despite my art history classes. They were really exciting–they saw things in a totally different way.

Is there an artistic community that you’re engaged with or excited about in San Francisco?

I feel like my stuff is pretty different. It’s kind of its own thing. There definitely is Mission-style art, and there are different groups that I like. There is a lot going on here.

What’s your approach to work? Do you get up and paint from like 8 to 12…do you have a regular work practice?

I’m a bit erratic. I’d like to be more regular, but my apartment has very little light, which makes it hard for me. I try to work every day after I get home from my boring day job, which I might quit. I paint at night because I’m a night owl.

That’s good. You have your time. It’s tricky to balance a lot of things…I have that too.

It is, it is. Things keep shifting. Hopefully you get the best balance. Don’t be afraid of change.

No, no. But it’s hard right?

It is. With certain things you’re like, oh, I’m okay with that changing, but other things you’re really settled with.

Do you have a life philosophy or mantra?

I think I have a couple, probably. Lately I’ve really been into the idea of just following what you love, and making it work for you, instead of just doing what you think you should be doing, which takes a lot of guts to actually put into practice.