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I have always found drawn or painted portraits compelling.  The process of translating a person’s likeness into a work of art presents fascinating problems--there is the challenge of reconciling three-dimensions within the two-dimensional picture plane to create the illusion of real space; there is the task of scrutinizing, recording, and editing to achieve (or obscure) a likeness of the sitter; and there is the problem of the mind.  Faces are symbols for identity and instruments of communication; they serve as indicators of mood, cues for memory, and as frames of reference for distinguishing ourselves from others.  Portraiture can be a direct or an indirect method of addressing the nature of identity, expression, culture and memory. 

Traditional portraits open up a three-way dynamic by exploring the relationships between the subject, the painter, and the viewer.  My paintings use this dynamic as a jumping off point to consider more contemporary problems.  I also seek to investigate the peculiar qualities of memory and the passage of time through recurring imagery and spatial ambiguity, while retaining traditional themes and subjects.