Artist Statement

My portraits are a process painted from a photographic reference to recreate a moment of time, a moment in a relationship, a friendship or looking inward within myself. I am using the photograph as a catalyst used to delve into the subject’s personality for a psychological response.

The body of work that includes my self-portraits is the direct result of a recovery from a complex personal relationship. Through this experience, the compulsion to paint portraits has given me the opportunity to reconcile with my emotional process and at the same time exposing my vulnerability. This series is capturing images of love, silence, fear, inhibitions, sexuality and circumstantial depression.

The photographs chosen as reference are manipulated to emphasis lighting and color to dramatize the image. This process enables me to translate from photo to canvas a fragment of a story. I am creating photo representational paintings and incorporating drips, splashes and spontaneous paint application. My painting is purposeful and intuitive to capture an emotional response with each portrait.