Tintypes and, believe it or not, collage. I just see a lot of the same thing over and over again, and I think artists should be willing to take risks and even put themselves in situations that set themselves up for failure.

What's your day job?

I do a variety of jobs, from graphic design to IT work, but I am currently unemployed and spend most of my time in the studio, working.

A mystery patron offers you unlimited funds for life. What will you do with it?

I recently started having some conversations with an opera singer about the children's book I Never Saw Another Butterfly. The book is a collection of children's art and poems made by children while in concentration camps, knowing full well that they would most certainly be killed by the Nazis. Those kids were given a voice in such an extremely evil situation. Art, especially collage, is an extremely powerful means for people who have no voice to express themselves, even under conditions less horrific than those in a concentration camp.

If I had unlimited funds for life, I would dedicate myself to teaching those who should have a voice in our society to develop and use it. Art is, at its core, communication, and it can radically change everything about a person and even society. Growing up in extreme poverty, I thought I did not have a voice. Being an artist has shown me differently. I would like to create art that expresses my voice authentically and teach others to do the same.