The Ajax Atlas Story
A WORLD of Art built on a WORLD of travel
My story began to intensify once…
I studied in Rome, Italy and Philadelphia, PA at one of the top art schools in the country- Tyler School of Art, Temple University’s coveted art school based in Philadelphia and Rome. Studying the Italian Masters throughout Italy opened my eyes more than I could have ever dreamed. This extensive and very specific traveling throughout Italy to study firsthand the incredible masterpieces of artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Caravaggio, and Bernini, changed my perceptions of what was possible. Imagine being able to study Michelangelo’s “David” for hours on end, or closely examining an original 500 year old Raphael drawing that was sitting in a safe at a museum!
Since my incredible time in Italy in 2004, I have spent the following years of my life traveling the World seeking inspiration for new works of Art. This too, has given me experiences very few artists are lucky enough to obtain. This has both humbled me and inspired me beyond my wildest imagination. Moreover, in 2016 after much thought, my Wife and I decided to leave our home in Pennsylvania to explore our Planet indefinitely. We have spent these last several years deeply learning about art, animals, people, cultures, ourselves, and surely our relationship to Mother Nature and our Planet. I can truly say these travels have been the biggest and best learning experience of my life. It certainly has not been easy during this time, but the growth I have experienced on a personal and artistic level has been beyond words.
During this epic traveling, I have extensively studied my subjects for months on end each trip throughout Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. I absolutely believe you cannot begin to understand an animal (or a place) until you have fully immersed yourself in their world. This is one of many reasons why I choose to go to GREAT lengths to immerse myself. It can be very painful and insanely sobering at times. But at the end, it is truly worth it for me.
Seeing and experiencing the confidence and aura of a big male lion in his prime is surely not something you can accurately obtain at a zoo. Feeling a massive tiger shark brush up against you as she inspects you with a genuine and calm intellectual curiosity is not something you can obtain watching a documentary at home. Hearing the monkeys lash out with alarm calls as a beautiful tigress walks calmly through the dense jungle is not something you can witness in a zoo. Hearing (and feeling!) a beautiful female Sperm Whale use her sonar to click you literally from the inside out, is not something you can fully contemplate until you experience it. And yet at these incredible moments, my work is truly JUST beginning.
Through my own blood, sweat, and tears working and researching out in the field, I am ensuring I capture the essence of these magnificent animals and places. And these firsthand experiences are what I work from while in my studio, as these are truly my own interpretations of the World around me.
Animals above and below the ocean have captivated me my entire life. Offering YOU a true glimpse into their lives via my artwork is such an incredible and humbling experience. Your support is vital in allowing me to explore and understand this World we live in. This therefore allows me to bring this World home with me into my studio, offering it for you to absorb and study in your own way. Thank you for your support!