Artist Statement
Claim Your Space
The subjects of my paintings unapologetically claim space and confidently take control of the viewer’s gaze, a power made manifest by self-assured, nearly antagonistic positions, expressive line weights, and an independent sense of color. I celebrate and explore their self-expressions and independence, and by applying paint with a sense of immediacy and spontaneity I give voice to the essence of each person. As an oil painter, I shy away from using the medium strictly for intricate rendering or image replication; instead establishing value through the materiality of paint. Gestural mark-making in my work stems from an intuition to capture the inner nature of my subjects– I explore a variety of textures and consistencies in order to fully recognize each person. I emphasize saturated colors and large-scale surfaces, unifying the subject with their physical surroundings and the spaces they inhabit. Space and the figure become aesthetically inseparable; “constructed” in the same manner in which an identity forms for my sitter. I build paint intuitively and boldly within this strategy to resist cultural misconceptions connecting self-expression and vulnerability to weakness or fragility. The subjects of my portraiture are individuals who accept themselves and consciously live their lives with purpose. Through formal means, I use portraiture to celebrate who they are.
