I want my work to speak to the viewer on a grand and inclusive scale about the human condition. The most sincere and effective way to speak directly about this topic, I believe, is by working with the human figure itself. Whether it’s our own image in the mirror or the sight of a coworker, friend, neighbor or lover, the figure is the most natural vessel for all our emotions from the most primal to the most civilized.
The people in my portraits are painted from observation. There is no substitute for a living, breathing human being when choosing to speak about human life. My figures tend to exist in between two realities. One, which is created by attempting to achieve a truthful portrayal of my subject and the second, is created by not denying the absolute physicality of the medium itself- oil paint. Through the paint, fleeting thoughts and feelings are slowed down so that the viewer can share my enthusiasm for these subtle nuances of the human condition.