I’m a painter working primarily in oil, acrylic, and airbrush. Most people know me for my figurative work and use of iridescent and luminous materials, but I am constantly exploring and experimenting with new techniques. My paintings have been exhibited at museums, biennials, and galleries throughout the U.S. and abroad. I’m also a writer, having recently penned The Creator’s Eye, a series of sci-fi/ fantasy novels. In my spare time I travel, camp, and hike. I’m a big nature lover and that is reflected in my latest paintings of landscapes and famous explorers. Most recently, I backpacked across the Andes to Machu Picchu. My travels often involve research for my paintings and they help me bring a diverse knowledge of art, culture, and history to my classroom. I teach Principles of Design, Connections through Color & Design, and periodically instruct the Foundation Painting Elective.

I am a painter, and I conduct my studio practice with a spirit of spontaneity and exploration. Drawing is the foundation for all of my paintings: whether as preliminary thumbnails, figures and forms in sketchbooks, or simply how I draw with oil and acrylic paint on my canvas supports - drawing is how I find my way. Ever since I was a child I drew. For me drawing is like another language, one that is in turn intimate and emotional, but also critical and analytic. It’s a way of making sense of the world. And a simple line can communicate so much beauty. As a teacher I emphasize fundamental approaches to drawing as a way for students to build their own toolkits. Angle sighting, proportion, line quality, and composition are simple tools that allow students to approach any drawing with confidence. In keeping with how I work in my studio, my classes are a place for investigation, diligent work, discovery and play.

I work as part of a duo, Beck+Col. Our practice encompasses a wide variety of media and techniques, including costume, performance, video, music/voice and installation.

Through costume-based performance and video, we build alternate universes that are populated by monsters, spawning a counter mythology and queering of existing norms. The playfulness of our monsters and lightness of the materials contrasts the brutality and gore of the performances. Our work questions individualism, both in practice and in content. Inherently collaborative, our practice also features other artists and performers, working together to create large works. We highlight the effects of atomization, and in contrast, the power of community. We draw inspiration from professional wrestling, opera and horror films. In my class, students can expect a fun, collaborative environment that challenges them both technically and creatively.