Portraiture has been the main element in my work since 2001. I have been developing large-scale installations using portraits of people who were the subjects of current events. Using non-traditional printmaking techniques, these installations combined the drawn portrait with a material appropriate to the commentary, in order to draw attention to the social and cultural issues being addressed. The messages in the work are political, but also personal, as the process presented a vehicle for me to express my thoughts about issues I had never before addressed. These projects bring together many elements that I desire to have in my work: a solid conceptual base, references to current events, experimental materials, and portrait drawing.

My hope is that the portraits will engage my audience's curiosity, followed by their further consideration of the materials that contextualize meaning in the work. I feel that I have been successful in the past, drawing the attention of the audience into themes around current events. In my new work, social interactions and personal relationships are at the root. No matter what subject matter I am focusing on, my work brings audiences together around themes of humanity and culture, in which we all share -- extending an opportunity for reflection to the public at large.

Drawing portraits is an intimate endeavor. In my more political/social issue work I have not known the persons I created portraits of, but I began to feel a relationship with them nevertheless. Although I still intend to create work that comments on the public arena, currently I am taking a step back to explore subject matter that is more personal. Using my friends as subjects, and candid photographs taken with a digital camera, I am developing drawings that investigates personal relationships and social interactions. Having a relationship with the subjects allows me to develop portraits and compositions that utilize this intimacy to develop a sense of familiarity, tension and emotional intrigue.