In my art, a thought or title often appears first, then the journey to chase the narrative of that piece begins. Although I choose representational imagery in this process, a painting, to me, is about paint. I am more interested in where that paint, with its coloristic and textural qualities, will take me than in effecting a precise rendering.

Before I begin, I create compositions from various photo references to experiment with my idea. The goal is to provoke thought, raise questions, or elicit an emotional response in the viewer. These are things I cannot achieve with photographic references alone. I typically paint strong women with allegorical or metaphorical intent - sometimes political, sometimes satirical. As I work, I dive deep behind the eyes of my subject to ask, "Who is this person, what are they thinking, and how did they get to this place?"

I credit my father with teaching me an appreciation of the value of creative expression to the self and the world. He was a man of humor and intelligence, and I like to think that a touch of that spirit comes through in the work from time to time.