I choose to articulate my ideas and sightings
through the language of oil paint. Painting is a
way to bring precedence and singularity to an
image through the ritual of mark making. It is
the hand-made property of the medium that
reveals its forethought and deliberation.
Part of my process involves the
creation of narrative or allegorical scenes that
embrace the complexity of humanity and its
reach. Painting metaphorically, I create
figurative paintings that include symbols. These works are based in a surrogated realism;
they pretend to be realistic. This means the
source material is broken down and elements are
changed based on concept and design.
When painting my subjects, it is
important to capture the essence of their
likeness in order to bring authenticity to the
subject matter. Often models will play a role
and portray a feeling or state of mind that they
are familiar with much like an actor/actress. They are not given too much direction so as to
allow for the model to improvise and express
their interpretation. This gives room for a
collaborative effort.
My paintings embrace scenic
elements like that of film or theater and will
often exaggerate these elements (points of view,
lighting, and atmosphere).
The models in this work are
interacting with various objects. These objects
are usually familiar commodities or appliances
that are used poetically as symbols and
extensions of the body. I choose objects that
represent our contemporary world.
A kind of irony is enforced
regarding the devices and the situations my
subjects find themselves in. On one hand, the
contraption is simply itself; a spoon, a
butterfly, Saran Wrap or electrical tubing. In
another way, it has lost its intended function,
re-contextualized and has become a manifestation
of something more ethereal.
The setting plays a key role in
the scheme of things as well. It will either
compliment or setup a duality between the events
of the foreground and the space of the
background. For example: a stairwell might help
portray the idea of descending in terms of
humility, while a Laundromat might imply the
need for cleanliness or simply, an acceptance
that the foreground actions are as mundane as
taking your clothes to the wash.
The research for my work comes
from a multitude of places, experiences and
interest. I regularly keep an on going library
of images scenarios and incomplete narratives. Then typically I will piece some of these ideas
together into a “complete narrative”.
As far as techniques are
concerned, I have adopted various painting
influences which stem from a desire to transcend
my source material. Although I generally paint
from a combination of photographic source and
life painting, I do not project or graph. I work
with the concern for under painting, alla prima,
color, descriptive painterly application and
over-glazing. These five concerns of painting
are heavily conceptualized through composition
and theme.
