"Starry NYC Night"
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Epoxy | 2018

Created after a trip to New York for a crypto conference, this piece captures the energy and visual chaos of the city from MoMA to Times Square, late nights in Williamsburg, and wandering through Greenwich Village with a pint of Old Speckled Hen, my favorite nitro beer.

This marked my first exploration of a style that would become central to my practice: a hybrid approach drawing from traditional decoupage techniques and Impressionist painting. The upper half dissolves into gestural, almost dreamlike imagery; swirling celestial forms above a stylized skyline, while the lower registers fragment into collaged windows of vintage advertisements and cultural ephemera, creating a layered urban landscape.

Looking back, I'm fond of this piece precisely because it's a first attempt. It's raw, experimental, and unrefined in ways that reveal the process of discovery. Every artist needs these stepping stones, works that don't have all the answers but ask the right questions, pointing toward something greater to come.