In much of my work I am using my love of science fiction and fantasy as a platform to explore ideas around parenting. I follow a vague narrative set in a world that is old and impenetrable, teeming with the residue of magic and ancient gods- where monsters roam in a sort of haunted scifi romanticism. There, a child wanders, discovers, and battles her way into adulthood- learning what to trust and what to be wary of. These pieces are a way of envisioning a fearless outlook for my daughter as she navigates a sometimes dangerous, but more often beautiful and strange world. The title Ludere Terram: Battles and Views serves not only as the description of an imagined sci-fi narrative where we alternate between a conveyance of scale and conflict of wills, but also as a way of looking at my own journey of parenting. Becoming a father has given me another perspective- not only into my own life, but that of my parents and my daughter’s life. I sit between the two generations- past and future. Occasionally I am able to zoom out of myself and see things from a distant vantage point- sometimes the scene is dramatic, sometimes calm. And then there are the battles- sometimes with my daughter, but more often with myself, my fears, and my struggle to be a good father. All of this plays out in an imagined place called Ludere Terram- latin for playground, a suitable name for my new planet. Science Fiction is a camouflaged way of looking at the world, of processing ideas through an alternate place that mirrors our own. This work is a distillation of my experience over the past 10 years. Along with science fiction, there are glimpses of children’s books, fantasy paintings,cryptozoology, and Romantic landscape painting like the Hudson River School. These different references become arenas within which I can escape, explore, and process: art-making and parenting come together this way for me.