Add to ORKGOur own human experience is a distinct realm which can never be precisely duplicated in another lifetime. It frames our whole view of existence and, as artists, affects our art making process. The theory of the Tabula Rasa functions as the inspiration of my work and this writing examines my personal view of growing up in the internet age and America, and how my view of life, as well as artistic practice, is shaped by a consumerist culture that has gone global. Additionally, as a figurative painter, I create a context with other artists who create work about their own experience such as Liu Xiaodong, Jan Steen, Kehinde Wiley, Patrick Martinez, and Roger Shimomura. This paper ties many facets of culture together, along with my personal reflec...