Statement

These days more than ever, I am apprehensive about humanity’s role in the world — my art is my canvas for expressing those feelings. They are complex emotions, not fully resolved, and as such I find both conflict and compassion in the images I create. They celebrate — the diversity of humanity, the strength of women, the inner growth possible in anyone — and they warn — of our collective thoughtlessness for the natural world, for the water which is precious, for the trees that are our ancestors, for the bees and birds and all the creatures we foolishly threaten.

My process is one born specifically of the medium, of drawing, of layering — on paper. It’s a long process, almost meditative — over many weeks and many strokes of charcoal, a face emerges. But the entire time, I remain open and observant, finding new references and inspirations every day. And so unplanned elements become juxtaposed as the piece evolves. The portraits exist in multi-layers of black charcoal — I use charcoal sticks and pencils of various types, applied with different tools (rags, brushes, and my fingers), to achieve texture and movement and stark detail. The exact meaning of each image remains a mystery — expressed in part by my choice of scale, as well as the details left out by design.

This series of portraits has been a work of 15 years (though informed by a life of art and observation) — and my passion for it shows no sign of slowing, not as long as there are more faces to evoke and more warnings needed. And maybe most importantly, making art is fun — even when it’s deeply challenging, it’s my greatest joy.