Artist Statement
The Human Behavior series puts candid figures on display while they engage with their environment. The compositions draw attention to unique architecture and the figures who occupy it. These are observations that I notice within my normal routines and interactions. It’s important that the moments are candid because I want the authenticity of their behaviors. I want the audience to make their own observations about the people and environments that they see. My process involves painting observationally from photographs that can be slightly manipulated, using Photoshop for corrections. I choose my photographs based on the best architectural angle for the composition. If people are in motion, then I choose what position makes the most sense. The medium format of these paintings is meant to be a window to another realm created from the illusion of space.
While transitioning into Covid19 restrictions, there was a lot to process mentally and emotionally. I was being kicked out of my studio early after building it up for three semesters. It was frustrating, but I knew there were some perks to working at home. Instantly leaving the institutional setting led to some unmotivated attitudes and it forced me to think differently about my work. Some of my work was exciting because it was about the here and now, especially the painting about being in my studio. I was only in the middle of that painting when we transitioned. Painting it at home, it suddenly turned into a memorial of something that used to be, and it felt weird painting it. Sometimes while painting spaces it can feel like I’m back there again and, in this case, I was losing my connection. Knowing that I will never see that place again made the photographs and prep materials all the more meaningful.
