I became interested in roosters when I lived in England in the 1980s. During the cold dreary days of winter, the only bright spots on the horizon were the cocky, cheery roosters full of joie de vivre. I began painting them only decades later while looking for a subject that would embody a joyful spirit, frenetic energy, and motion. I found all three in the common country rooster.

I paint the roosters in bright, explosive, and sometimes psychedelic color combinations of yellow, red, green, blue, and black to convey vivacity. My palette knife captures the movement of the rooster, and its form and innate character. The result is a picture that is tactile.

Roosters are my forever evangelists. Since I can remember, I’ve been interested in spiritual pursuits. But how does a modern individual living a hectic life find answers to some of life’s larger questions? I believe if people pause and experience the moment they are in, they’ll find a closer connection to their inner selves. However, at any given moment, the distracted individual is either reliving his past or imagining his future. But life can be experienced fully only in the present. The roosters pull viewers into the moment and hold them there...They literally say, “Wake Up!”