“As an artist, I am interested in a deep examination of the human experience and daily life. Particularly, I am focused on the concept of “rhopography,” the bits and pieces of banality that make up our lives. In reference to the human experience, I explore the common threads that run through the history of our species, the very objects, activities, and places that make us who we are. Because of this, the study of classical art-making methods has become a major aspect of my practice, as I analyze the history of the creative process and my place in it. I often use a classical, or at least historical approach in the creation of my work as I am inevitably influenced by my research. My influences include nineteenth-century French realism, the impressionist movement, and pop art. 

“My portrait work explores two major themes. Firstly, I am interested in depicting people engaging in activities that have been part of the human experience for centuries, if not millenia. I am most focused on creative acts, such as creative arts processes, cooking, and agriculture, though I may work outside this limited scope from time to time. My other portrait interest is what I term “honest portraiture,” which involves imagery that displays not only a person’s physical appearance, but their inner being and personality as well. These portraits are candid, and sometimes unflattering, but they are true to the person shown. Another notable feature of my portrait work is my interest in using working-class individuals as models. Where portraiture has historically focused on those who could afford to commission such works, I am interested in working with those who are often overlooked. 

“Through landscape and cityscape imagery, I examine how identity is tied to place, and how a person is influenced by it. Additionally, I am interested in places that are unlike anywhere else, and how a given location can have an identity of its own. I include plein air painting as part of my practice both in pursuit of a quick impression of perception, and as part of my classical painting studies. 

“I also enjoy working within the still-life genre, sometimes with an approach similar to my “honest portraits.” I often use compositions where the objects are ordered as they would be in a real-world situation, such as an assortment of toiletry items strewn across a countertop, or freshly-unloaded groceries waiting to be put away. I frequently use still-life arrangements as a form of portraiture. The objects in a person’s life communicate something about that person, who they are. As Palahniuk wrote in his novel, Diary, “it’s all giving you away…everything is a self-portrait.”

“In terms of method, no medium is off-limits as I enjoy the use of a variety of materials, such as acrylic, oil, gouache, watercolor, oil pastel, and colored pencil. My ways of utilizing these media varies as well, and my style of painting and drawing can range from tight hyperrealism to loose application and expressive use of color. I am always exploring and experimenting with new ways of making work, in search of the best way to interpret the subject matter I am utilizing in a given work.”