PERSONALITY AND AFFILIATION
An Investigation of Identity
The series Personality and Affiliation are portraits of personalities, investigating affiliation to place. They are my attempt to capture not only the specifics of people and places, but also the subtle signs that speak about the inevitable connections that exist between personality and environment. In these relationships I look for interaction, and cultural and historical context.
Oil painting is my preferred medium of choice because it allows the most liberating, forgiving and changeable process for me. Its malleable quality seems to counterbalance my structured and controlled mindset. It also plays well with the classical appearance of the paintings.
I highly value and seek out the vast variety of natural light and atmospheric conditions and try to convey this truthfully in my paintings. I invest time with the model generating ideas, and later on location, taking numerous photographs which are later combined in the final work. Interacting with the model on location develops an understanding of the character of the model and the landscape, the mood, and the possible narratives that develop between person an place. Plein air studies are an important part of my process, though I find the trial and error process of composing of the final painting to be the most fulfilling.
Using traditional materials, and being stylistically inspired by historical painters, I record moments of my own time. The final results are my humble attempt at understanding the complexity presented by nature through a filter of observation and process, both highly personal aspects of painting.
Get a printed copy of my catalog from Blurb