Artist Statement

It would be natural to peg my work into the genre of photorealism, or hyperrealism, or any other number of conventions. Close examination shows these works do not adhere strictly to the forms of these categories; there are gaps in rigid interpretation. I do not want to re-create photographs for the sake of technique or exactitude, rather I want to form a space of personal attachment and let the subjective flow into the spaces around the work. My works can be interpretive, often symbolic, and always intrinsically close to the meaning of experience. I can hold and handle the objects I transfer onto the canvas and I try to transmit the weight of that real experience to a place where the viewer is engaged with their own sense of attachment.

I would much rather have my paintings speak for me, rather than me speak for them. They seem to have a purpose that surpasses my ability to express otherwise. These works function in service to a quality that is intangible and transient, and not knowable in a certain sense. That quality is made of emotion, connection and affection. The objects and compositions I create I have chosen for specific reasons. I paint them with respect for their history and the connection I hold with them to almost everything in the work. All of the pebbles, marbles, skulls and objects were either given to me by others or they are emblematic of experience shared with individuals that hold significance in my life.