My work focuses mostly on cultural allegories and norms conveyed through a collage-like juxtaposition of figurative imagery, symbolism, and elaborate patterning. Often the figures personify the precarious, dark, grotesque, and sleazy side of human nature, subjects by which I am continually fascinated.

These topics seem to require, and in fact dictate, frontal, discomforting, and intrusive compositions. I revel in playing with bright color and pattern, tilted and flattened space, and distorted form to achieve this needed psychological expression and visual activity, but also to create an element of humor and fun.

My portraits are meant to evoke more intimate and individualistic narratives, and often include a layer of social commentary. I have been working exclusively on portraiture since the global health crisis because time with friends and loved ones is precious or limited and the calling to capture them through the ritual of portraiture has been strong. Additionally, since it is no longer safe to travel, it has become increasingly important for me to include people I have met through traveling in this series. This body of work has enabled me to think intensely about people I know or have known. The creation process has been a different way of spending time with, or “seeing”, people and I have found it to be quite rewarding and personally important.

Monsterbet, is a figurative series based on the traditional format of children’s alphabet rhymes, but with a layer of social commentary.  The subject may be a bit more benign and childlike, but I still strive to keep a gritty edge in the work. Each letter stands for an invented monster that has a particular quirk. They are meant to be silly and fanciful while simultaneously touching on some of my favored themes of human vice, morality, and fear.

The Arcana Shuffle series is loosely based on tarot cards and their archetypes. Similar to the tarot, each painting has an archetypal title, a bordered format surrounding a main figure, and a system of symbols. Unlike the tarot, each figure also has stereotypical aspects specific to Western culture, which makes the characters more accessible and satirical. As with all my work, these paintings are meant to be luscious, darkly humorous, and disturbing.

The still-lifes usually depict singular or grouped objects of curiosity, sometimes centered around food and eating. Strange and surprising combinations of imagery create a tension between what is and is not considered beautiful and normal, or revolting and undesirable. It is also my hope that the still lifes inspire and invite some cross-cultural comparisons. 

My interest in incorporating patterning and symbolism has also led me to create a series of non-representational work, based on the symbolism and patterning of non-European based art. Each painting is the result of research of numerous countries within four regional or religious categories.

To my surprise and delight, common themes of fertility, knowledge, longevity, agriculture, nature, spirituality, warfare, and prosperity unified the work I studied and created. As evidenced through the art of these many cultures, there is a definite human need for ornamentation to add value to and to glorify an object’s appearance and meaning. This research has strengthened my belief that ornamentation has an importance and validity, even in contemporary Western art, and it has encouraged me to continue using it in my representational work.

Though painting is my primary medium, I enjoy working with collage in a more free-associative manner. I use collage as an alternate way to think about composition and content, and to experiment with mixed media. Sometimes the collages are used to jumpstart ideas for paintings but also often end up being finished pieces in themselves.