I grew up with the illustrated books of Chris van Allsburg. Each one of his images opens an entrance into a world I was happy to get lost in. The stories were interesting, but for me they were mostly context for why I was there, in a particular world. The Garden of Abdul Gasazi was a place to visit just to wander and enjoy the things around. Maze by Christopher Manson was another opportunity to get lost on purpose, with no rush to find the exit and with limitless details to explore. The work of M.C. Escher presented a similar experience, and he himself describes walking through his ideas and artwork in terms of a garden he didn’t mind being lost in. Later, playing Myst was my first experience combining music, artwork, and interactivity in such an immersive way. With no clear goal, I could wander around and just enjoy imagining being there. It was another instance of being lost in a piece of art.

I want to create artwork that others enjoy being lost in. Following a line of an encoded script, noticing how objects pack together, or seeing patterns within patterns, these responses to an artwork center around the state of comfortable disorientation and discovery that being lost transports you to. If I enjoy this, there must be others who do also.

Two of the most inspiring artists to me are Donald Judd and M.C. Escher. It would be a stretch to draw parallels between the work of these two, but one thing they do have in common is the effect they have on me. There is something that “rings true” when I look at their work, as if the work answers a question I didn’t realize I had. The work of both artists provides an endless supply of layers and relationships so that viewing never gets old.

Update: I was fortunate enough to visit Escher in het Paleis in July 2025. I was delighted to find out that the parquet of the first two stories of this building were designed by Judd. So, someone else must have seen a similarity too….