Artistís Narrative

The human figure has always been the primary focus of my painting. I want my figures to provoke introspection. While they are essentially a revelation of self, I hope they begin to portray, in some universal way, certain truth about what it can mean to be human, exposed, disconnected, and vulnerable.

My work is enigmatic, and I make no attempt to resolve this quality. Interpretations, which are too literal, miss the mark. I am uncomfortable when asked to ascribe meaning to a particular work. I believe that meaning and understanding are constructed, formed at the point where art and the viewer interact. Both the artist and the viewer bring something to the experience, and their interaction creates meaning. It is not ordained by me. No other subject expresses the power that the human figure can impart to a painting. By denuding the forms that compose my paintings, I accomplish many things, not always by design. My self-portraits most noticeably characterize this. They often share an intimacy that exceeds original intent. In many works, composition is the result of a balancing and grouping of multiple figures. I strive for visual tension by rendering the agony and angularity of anatomy seen groping, searching, and climbing. Only rarely is my work conceived at the outset. Sometimes I will begin with a face that I like. Sometimes it will be merely an eye. I pay particular attention to body parts. Joints, knees, knuckles, and wrists are emphasized in a matter-of-fact way. Each painting or drawing grows within the process of its own execution. The settings may seem vaguely familiar, but you shouldnít be too certain about the locale or even the time of the visit. You may infer that my approach is visceral and intuitive. Over the past thirty years of reclusive and disciplined work, far from any recognized art center, I wondered about how much my work has either suffered or benefited from my isolation. That I use myself as a frequent model is not incidental to this circumstance. Neither is my reliance upon my own vision. Over time I have learned to trust this aspect of my work. My paintings have an existence of their own. I paint with a vocabulary tied to neither time nor place. Iíll often disturb uncompromising realism with the elements of high abstraction. I freely impose figures, expressed in the softness of the Renaissance, upon backgrounds that are flat and modern.