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I am most interested in painting the human and animal figure; especially the face. Whether painting from a live model or from reference, my primary concern is to establish an expression on the face of the subject. My hope is that my depiction of this expression will communicate to the viewer a sense of what the subject is feeling or thinking. While the face is my primary interest, I am fascinated by the other elements of the picture; clothing, objects, surroundings. The challenge of representing all of these things in paint is daunting but exhilarating.
I love oil paints because of their tactile quality. I admire those artists in whose work the hand of the painter is evident, such as Delacroix, Velasquez, Gainsborough, Sargent and Henri. However I am equally drawn to smooth treatment of paint employed by of Bouguereau and Ingres. In my own work, I'm happiest when I feel I've created an image in which the application of paint is of interest in its' own right.