Although there are several dominant themes in this body of work, my primary focuses are the ideas of perception, light and shadow, and identity, as well as infusing a sense of mystery and humor into the works.
After the birth of my children, the question of identity, and what defines and shapes us, suddenly is much more important. I find myself examining my role as father, as husband, and as artist within my artwork. Familiar surroundings are the settings of my work, often serving the dual role of still life and allegorical portrait or narrative. The studio becomes a shrine to the artist's working habits and a bathroom becomes a midnight private retreat. A child's doll juxtaposed with a pistol underscores a father's fear for his child. In the backyard, a plastic toy lion hunts giraffe. A line of ocean surf becomes both beginning and end. The artist himself becomes a bobblehead, sharing space with the rest of his daughter's playthings.
My work can be broken into several focused themes. The Bathroom and Interior paintings are meant to explore the mundane and everyday situations of life from a slightly skewed point of view, both literal and metaphorical. These works are rooted in the everyday experience of the commonplace, as well as the working world of my studio, that which is often taken for granted and overlooked.
The Postcard Series incorporates painted interpretations of other artists' postcards from gallery shows. For several years I've been tacking the original postcards to a wall in my studio, typically from artists and shows whose works leave an impression upon me. The paintings are still lifes of a sort, with cards deconstructed into shape, form and color. Referencing photographic space, the imagery fluctuates between focus and blurriness as I place my own priorities upon another's imagery. These paintings, rather than recordings, are personal interpretations skewed by the juxtaposition of the multitude of artists represented.
The Bobblehead and toy-related paintings deal with iconic familiarity and social commentary, with statements allegorical and ambiguous. These works imply multiple connotations and deal with the fine line between child-focused imagery and adult-oriented themes. The bobbleheads are at once human and anti-human, a caricature of both real and fictionalized people that over the years we have found funny, serious, beautiful, and political.
