I am a teacher and a student of art and a researcher of techniques and processes. I enjoy the journey that these experiences take me on. I travel through geographies, history, and cultures. Through these experiences I become acquainted with great artists both living and from the past. My work is a reflection of this.

Fresco Painting: Living in Florence, is like living in a museum. Inspiration for my work came from the colorful, detailed and highly symbolic Renaissance paintings that I walked by everyday. We all know that frescos are known for their archival quality, their ability to survive the calamities of history, but it was surprising to discover that the fresco technique delivers such brilliant, and lively colors unlike what one would experience in an old chapel. This discovery, coupled with the fresco’s permanent nature, of pigment embedded into fresh lime and sand thoroughly fascinated me. My choice of subject matter was inspired by the Felliniesque carnival that is held in the town, Viareggio, every year. My fresco paintings were based on the paper-mache puppet-like characters, which paraded down the street during carnival.

Encaustic: Is a technique that handles like watercolor, has the sensuous quality of oil paint with the intoxicating scent of beeswax, and allows for a thin translucent approach or more painterly surface. With it I can embed images, carve and, paint. I am attracted to ancient textures such as the surface of old walls and doors, thus began my interest in a series of paintings based on old Buddha statues from China and Thailand. These statues with their serene gaze captured my imagination. I approached my Buddha series much like a portrait series. Encaustic painting represents various challenges. The wax needs to be heated on a metal plate, the action needs to be quick and incisive and hit the surface before the wax cools and hardens. The heat, the smell, the physicality are all elements that enhance the artistic process.

Photo Illustration: My interest in alternative photography lead me to develop a process by which I would take a black and white photograph, add texture and hand color it with watercolors and colored pencils. For some projects clay characters and sets where used to create the photographs, other times I used this technique to transform a black and white photograph. With this technique, I achieve images of photo realistic quality, however, the graininess adds a sense of undefined mystery to the images, which my particular use of color tends to emphasize.

Marionettes & Puppets: As a collector of little heads and odds and ends, I have been drawn to puppets and puppet-like objects. One summer I decided to learn the traditional art form of marionette carving in the Czech Republic. From this experience I’ve created more puppets and puppet inspired paintings.

Pet Portraits: From the exaggerated declarations of the improbable to the use of color and simple forms, I have always loved the aesthetic of carnival and sideshow banners. By appropriating this aesthetic I have fun personalizing pet portrait commissions.

Portraits: I have explored portraiture in several projects. In Italy I did a series of contemporary portraits in oil based on the Seven Vices and Seven Virtues. A bus ride in San Francisco inspired a series of photographic and oil portraits based on African and African American Hair as Sculpture. Fascinated by kitchen linoleum patterns from the 1920’s-1940’s I’ve often used antique linoleum as a surface for portraits. I’m fascinated by what faces disclose and conceal. Even though I like to experiment and explore other subjects I’ll always be working on a portrait project.

Clients have included:

Random House
The New York Times
Atlantic Records
Warner Brothers Records
Ballantine Books
Essence Magazine

Represented by Images.com / Graphis