Artist Bio
Born February 1982, Cleveland, Ohio.Artist Statement:I am most interested in the human form and personality. I am drawn to people and the way they express themselves within contemporary culture. My work bridges painting and drawing. The painted surfaces, followed by colored pencil, add a unique texture and balance. The portraits in this portfolio started from the popular website myspace.com as a result of my bulletin requesting photographs demonstrating the recipient’s personality through clothing, accessories, and props. I have received photographs from friends and myspace members locally, nationally, and internationally. I am fascinated by the idea of impression management made possible through an analysis of an individual’s unique physiognomy. As the portraitist, I am left to interpret information and question the subject’s self-expression. I see my approach as paralleling the Roman veristic portrait tradition in that I adhere to the assumption that physiognomy plays a crucial role in revealing the subject’s true character. Just as the Romans would parade death masks of deceased relatives in a commemorative manner, I leave my canvases unstretched and hung by grommets to display the models in an honoring, banner-like manner.
