I am intrigued by faces - the physical characteristics that distinguish one from the next; stories that can be told by facial and physical expressions or portraiture as political and cultural commentary. I enjoy drawing portraits because it gives my viewers and myself the rare opportunity to stare, unabashedly, at someone.

Around 2001, I changed the scope of my artwork. Although I had always been interested in portraits, my work reflected my love of exploring materials, drawing, process and the inner workings of my subconscious. I enjoyed making the work, but grew tired of my process, one that I had refined since my days of art school, of endlessly searching my subconsciously derived doodles looking for meaning. Working in portraiture allows me to focus on stimuli from the outside world as well as ruminate on my inner thoughts.

Through portraiture I have explored themes relating to the death penalty, the perceived bias of the Supreme Court, the cult of celebrity and transient encounters with temporarily relevant news figures. These drawings form the basis of my installations and express my thoughts, dilemmas and questions about these topics. Much of the work reflects cultural and political themes but it is also a personal reflection as it presents an inner struggle of looking for ways to articulate thoughts about issues I have never before addressed.

In more recent work I have turned the focus onto my friends and to thoughts related to human nature. By using candid photos of my friends, I am able to explore our interactions to our fellow humans though portraiture and physical expression.

some example portraits are pictured below, click on the thumbnail to see a larger view.