statement

My intention with painting, drawing, and sculpture is to depict the fullness of ordinary human life, in both its triumphs and trials, with honesty and candor. My current work depicts figures in moments of reflection on profound personal loss and grief. It is inevitable that we, as artists, will transfer images and experiences of our own lives into our work. In the last few of years I lost both of my parents --my father unexpectedly, and then my mother in an arduous battle with cancer. Through these life experiences, I feel compelled to portray figures honestly, exposing a stripped down version of the fragile nature of human emotion juxtaposed with enduring strength of character. This exploration of humanity, the vulnerability and psychology of the figure, are as interesting to me as are the features and anatomy of the human form. In the figure, we are confronted with the strain and tension of the anatomy, with the color of flesh, with body language and facial expression.

In my work, I hope to achieve results that are very silent and very grand. These expressive elements are compelling, inspiring, sometimes disturbing and they have a unique power over us. They ask us to look beyond the figure portrayed and reflect on ourselves and our own experiences. This is ultimately why I am a figurative artist.

bio

born: 1971, Illinois

education

New York Academy of Art, NY, MFA Painting, 1997
Indiana University~Bloomington, IN. BA, Painting/Sculpture, 1994
Indiana University~Bloomington, IN. BA, Art History, 1994

selected awards/honors

Agop Agopoff Memorial Prize for Classical Sculpture, National Sculpture Society, 2010
Walter Hancock Grand Prize, National Sculpture Society~ 29th Annual Figure Sculpture Competition, 2008

selected publications

Poets and Artists magazine,  March and Nov. issues, 2012
Fine Art Connoisseur magazine, Nov/Dec. 2008 issue
American Artist Drawing Magazine, Portrait Drawing Finalist, 2005

selected solo or two-person exhibits

McGuffey Art Center Gallery, Charlottesville, VA, 1998

selected group shows

Gallery 33: FaceMask, Chicago, IL 2012
Six Summit Gallery: Juxtaposed, Ivoryton, CT, 2011
National Sculpture Society: 29th Annual Juried Exhibition, Pawley's Island, SC, 2010
New York Academy of Art: Alumni Exhibition, Juried by Eric Fischl and Matthew Flowers, 2009