statement

My work attempts to explore the physical and psychological relationships between one's self and the external world and examine the relationships that exist between people.  The human body is of interest to me because it is the interface of interaction between subject and object, self and other, inside and outside.  Marked by personal histories and time and molded by the society and culture in which it exists, the body is something we all share as a vehicle for experiencing the world.  Through obsessive rendering and careful, deliberate composing, I try to evoke a sense of human connection and vulnerability in my work.  By using the topography of the body, I hope to create metaphorically open imagery that speaks about our shared experiences as human beings.

Drawing is an intrinsic part of my art making process.  Part mapping, part inventing, and part discovering, it allows me to connect with and understand the structure of the forms I am representing.  Pencil on paper is one of the most direct and democratic ways of creating an image yet it allows for extreme sensitivity and sophistication in regards to the push and pull of pictorial space.  All of my work is rooted in drawing and the repeated act of adding and subtracting marks until the search for a palpable presence has ended and the image breathes.

bio

born: 1980, Canton, Ohio

education

Columbus College of Art & Design, BFA, 2003

selected awards/honors

Second Place/Drawing Category, Art Renewal Center International Juried Salon, USA, 2012
The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, Canada, 2006
First Prize, The Goldwater National Art Exhibition & Award, New Zealand, 2004
The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, Canada, 2003

selected publications

Art Renewal Center; International 2011/2012 ARC Salon. Port Reading, NJ: Art Renewal Center p. 125, 131, 2012
National Portrait Gallery; BP Portrait Award 2012. London, UK: National Portrait Gallery p. 70, 2012
National Portrait Gallery; BP Portrait Award 2009. London, UK: National Portrait Gallery p. 72, 2009

selected group shows

Contemporary Realism: Four Visions, Hammond Harkins Galleries, Bexley, OH, 2013
BP Portrait Award Exhibition, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK, 2012
Winners, Waiheke Art Gallery, Auckland, NZ, 2011
BP Portrait Award Exhibition, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK, 2009