I’m a painter that sings poems. The author Makoto Fujimura speaks to the creative’s role as stewards of Creation, and how we are to become "poets of Creation, to sing alongside the Creator over Creation." I like to think of my paintings as joining that chorus over humanity and the people Scripture says are "wonderfully made." Beyond the individual captured in a portrait or specific moment captured in a painting, I consider my work a participant in that celebration of life and Creation. If my painting can honor the deep value in people, capture their likeness and personality, as well as hold its own as a quality piece of art, then I've found meaningful satisfaction in my work. 

 

I paint a variety of subjects to stretch myself, but a piece of me comes alive in the pursuit of an accurate and expressive likeness. My goal in an expressive portrait painting is to usher people not just toward that subject’s personality, but also what they stood for or what their significance is to me. From prominent people in my life, figures from history, and even characters from pop culture - if they have left an imprint on my life I feel the pull to put them onto a canvas and pass it forward. When my art serves as an entrance into history or a tour guide into worlds of fiction, I score that as a win.