I am not going to follow art trends or be original

In the name of kitsch there is a language to be learned, a language that is easily understood. Kitsch should not be mistaken for camp; kitsch is a literal perspective that cannot be conceptualized. Painting is a process and with every line there is purpose. A painting gives me the same experience as when I read a humanistic work of literature or listen to a composed song with humanistic elements. If there is no direction I am then left with an unknown engagement. 

I was first introduced to Kitsch by my teacher Rima Jabbur who studied with Odd Nerdrum. Jabbur gave me Nerdrum’s book “On Kitsch,” and upon reading it my purpose for painting became clear: I was not going to follow art trends or create something original, I was going to learn from the masters and do it well. I hope to one day establish a timeless story within our world as a painter and not an artist.

Kitsch and myth are both historical attempts to live outside history.

— Thomas Elsaesser, film historian