Artist Statement

Upon entering my studio recently someone exclaimed “You are surrounded by people!”, the reference being made to the subject matter of the oil paintings on the walls. Inspired by old photographs my work focuses on memory triggered by images of ancestors, family and childhood. The universal feelings and undercurrents of fear, uncertainty, control, along with the joys of life and family are central to the development of my work. Some areas of the paintings are left intentionally vague; a sketch not fleshed out representing underdeveloped, vaguely remembered areas of the past. Family photographs documenting times of celebration, on the surface, portray the “all is wellness” of life. But looking closer, there are often shadows, undercurrents of tension.

I started formally drawing from the figure at sixteen with the Huntington Art League on L.I. and continue this practice today through the West Hartford Art League. As a student at The Hartford Art School l received life drawing instruction on human proportion, light, shadow and line sensitivity, with Ted Behl, Stephen Brown, Lloyd Glasson and Jacklyn Conley. Gesture drawing warm-ups is a favorite challenge to catch the proportion and essence of the figure as they strike each new brief pose.

These life drawing experiences inform how I paint the figures in this current body of work. Photographic still frames, shots from the past, as the focus of my paintings allow for mood, memory and interpretation to enter the composition. Isolation during the covid pandemic along with aging in general mark the beginning of these ongoing blasts from the past, bringing to light where I’ve been and where I’m going.