Artist Statement

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I am a photorealist painter with a focus on the theatrical, weaving a sense of fiction and fantasy into my images. Where other photorealists focus is on detail and documentation of the real world, my focus is on luminosity and invention.

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Imagined narratives are prevalent throughout my work, generally enacted with small toys and figurines in the style of a diorama. Traditionally the photorealist movement tends to revolve around the capturing of beauty from banal subject matters and highly polished documentation of the real world. While still enjoying and and adhering to these basic principles, it is my focus on invention and narrative that make me an aberration of the photorealist canon.

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My compositions tend to subscribe to a theatrical aesthetic through the use of high-key lighting, spotlighting, crude use of props and improvised stage-set. This concept of fabricated illusion is central to my work thematically as I am continually fascinated with the idea of artifice and the various roles it plays in modern life and modern art. My background of studies in theatre design has led to my current interest in artifice of the stage: carefully composed illusion as a tool to delineate a parable or to prompt inquiry into social issues. On another note, my consistent choice of subject matter of prefabricated dolls, mannequins, toys and figurines brings attention to the element of artifice integral to my multi-layered process.