About
Artist Statement
I love painting people. I have sketched and painted people for the majority of my life. I find depicting a subject on canvas immensely exhilarating and always filled with surprises and unexpected challenges. In portraiture, my goal is to accurately portray the sitter but I am also interested in capturing those expressions that are not set, but fleeting and yet familiar. They are intimate; they are an assemblage of nuanced expression that captures more insight about the sitter in the painting in a manner that a still photography would not, so that the painting actually breathes and radiates with the energy of the person. My interaction with the sitter sharpens my observations, lends a vitality to the tactile brushstrokes, and enhances the highlights and color choices of the painting. My definition of a portrait is first and foremost, a painting that can stand on its own. It as an exceptional and unique fine arts piece that happens to be a masterful portrait as well.