This exhibit is a new series of paintings dealing with figurative imagery. I follow the same path that I used in my landscapes, starting with a specific form and using a process of painting over the image and wiping away the paint. I then derive a generalized “portrait”. Just as my landscapes could represent any place, these universal figures can entice viewers to create their own narrative.

I have often found that my figurative works become self portraits of a sort. Just as any viewer might put himself in the picture, these avatars or icons allow me a secure access into the experience of self.

Each character is a member of my extended family while I struggle to find a hidden narrative in each painting. As I become involved in the creation of an image, I have to ask myself: Is this a friend, enemy, real or phantom?

While exploring the identity in the picture, I am also infatuated with the paint and the painting surface. I hope that this creates a sense of movement bristling in and around these frozen subjects and suggests that they are suspended in rapidly changing worlds or cast in them.