I paint in a traditional manner and stay close to the rules of perception. The process starts with a kind of meditation. Eyes closed, in a quiet place, I begin to visualize the painting. Familiar people and places are points of departure, sometimes closely observed and sometimes re-imagined. With the visualization developed, I assemble the elements that are needed to support it: people, objects, drawings and photographs. Then, I attempt to bring the imagined into existence. I think of painting as making the imagined world perceivable.
I try to do more than simply describing my subjects.I hope I convey something about them that is subtler than appearance. I try to express the emotional qualities I attach to them: love, longing, compassion, anxiety and aversion. There is a relationship in my work between figures and the natural environment.
Top
