ARTIST STATEMENT
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Art has always played an important role in my life. From an early age, I was encouraged to express myself visually. I have been influenced by various art movements including the Impressionists, the Nabis and early 20th century American realists.
My current body of work deals with figurative themes of a narrative nature. I pose  the subjects informally, engaged in everyday activities, often depicted in contemplative moods. My desire is to have viewers ask themselves what might be happening in the paintings and what the characters might be thinking. Another key element in my work is to introduce various design elements such as decorative patterns on pillows, carpeting or clothing that create movement in the composition. I also use still life objects such as coffee cups or telephones to heighten the narrative mood of the painting.
I work on stretched, medium grade canvas, lightly primed, working with a white or lightly tinted surface to begin painting on. I use lightly toned backgrounds to maintain an airy, luminous quality throughout the work process and find a purity of color in this way. Oil paint is my chosen medium because I prefer to subtly blend together my colors slowly and create soft edges. The inherent nature of oils allows me to work in thin layers of paint allowing the under painting to glow through the later color applications creating a luminous quality, and a richness in the surface. The lighting effect is critical to setting a mood and I sometimes employ back lighting to create the illusion of filtered light. At other times I use a strong contrast between light and shadow areas lending a three-dimensional appearance to the figures. 
I also enjoy working in watercolors because of their inherent qualitiy of freshness and spontaneity. The luminosity of watercolor paint allows the colors to glow, creating an interaction of transparent colors. As with my oils, the lighting effect sets a mood. I also find watercolor to be an excellent medium for expressing textural effects. I use the watercolors in a traditional manner initially layering loose washes, and then working from light to dark. I allow the colors to blend directly on the paper using unpainted areas of the paper itself for the white areas. I prefer to work on Arches 300# cold pressed paper, where the slight textural surface lends itself to the some of the desired effects. I work  in both 15" x 22" or 22" x 30" size formats. I begin with a minimal pencil drawing as a foundation and paint loosely over the lines, drawing with my brush. In the later stages of the process, I  pull the painting together by tightening up edges and bringing out details. I use permanent pigmented watercolor paint to ensure the longevity of my paintings and also mat and back them with archival materials.