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My art reflects the transpiration of my surroundings. I am a social individual often instigating collaboration in large artistic events. These experiences put me in touch with the mass population and can be seen directly in my work. I paint individuals and crowds set in an urban environment (currently New York and in the past San Francisco, Boston and Portland, Maine).
The combination of sublime and familiar is the paradox of my work, creating a tension but also giving the viewer a relational experience. I use repetitive imagery such as large crowds or buildings with hundreds of windows. The idea of the swarm or large numbers often can give an overwhelming feeling but ultimately hypnotizing, creating a sublime transcendence through the familiar.
All of my work plays on the idea of the individual in relation to environment, ranging from the manmade to the natural. The escapism of nightlife is something I portray in my paintings. There is an online phenomenon of the people going to social gatherings and documenting them in snap shots and then sharing them on the web. I picked up on this, incorporating nightlife in my imagery. In "Drunk Girls", I reflect the carnival or "good time" attitude in much of society. At the other extreme, I also incorporate natural settings. Examples of my work using masses of people are "Recess" and "Prospect Park". The natural parks, subways and city buildings all are the environment surrounding the individual. An overtly political example of this tension was a commission I painted of the White House in 2006. I painted a decrepit and cold White House reflective of the Bush era. The trees and leaves in the lawn are very warm and colorful and almost creeping in towards the White House waiting to enter. I knew at the time change was coming and the painting's predictions were accurate.
The ideology of my paintings, is postmodern, specifically focusing on multiculturalism, feminism and identity occurring in the interactive space of a city. Much of these issues occur in microcosms on the subway. I am fascinated by this and document them in my paintings.
My subway series also brings in the element of time, exploring movement and travel in seconds and minutes with my sketch pad and charcoal while riding the subway. I capture a moment while someone is in transition from one place to another, with only a few minutes before the situation completely changes. It is how the individual comes to terms with environment through transition in time. The daily commute becomes something else, transforming the repetitive familiar into something transformative. One example is in the charcoal sketch, "Uptown A".
The sketches, photos and hired models I use are my departure point. I convert this information with my individual color palette. My aesthetic is informed by Josef Albers’ color theory, using studied combinations to create a color hierarchy. Local color that depicts light is another tool I use in my work and have found similarities in both Matisse and Alex Katz.
Education and Training
1990-1994 Maine College of Art, Portland Maine
- BFA in painting, selected student speaker at graduation.
- Focus in oil painting, art history and theory, color theory, drawing.
1998-1999 New Horizons Computer Training, Walnut Creek, CA.
- Advanced HTML, Advanced PhotoShop, Illustrator, Quark Express.
2004 California College of the Arts
- Extended Education- advanced oil painting.
Exhibitions/ Murals/ Commissions
1994 Show of paintings, Portland Chamber of Commerce, Portland Me.
1994 Mural, 10'X12', Zootz Nightclub, Portland Maine
1994 Show of paintings, Clapp House, MeCA, Portland, Maine
1995 Commission, Dean George Smith, Maine College of Art, Portland Me.
1995 Juried Alumni Show, Moser Gallery, Madison Ave, NYC
1996 Show of paintings, The Hand Gallery, Post Street, San Francisco, Ca.
1997 Show of paintings, The Seventh Note Night Club, San Francisco, Ca.
1998 Installation, Tango Grille, North Beach, San Francisco, Ca.
1999 Private Commission, 2'X4' oil on canvas, San Francisco, Ca.
2000 Show of paintings, Popolo Restaurant, San Francisco, Ca.
2001 Installation, 5'X7', oil on canvas, Velvet, San Francisco, Ca.
2002 Viv, Emerging Artist Show, San Francisco, Ca.
2003 Show of paintings, Popolo Restaurant, San Francisco, Ca.
2003 Show of paintings, XYZ, Hotel W, San Francisco, Ca.
2003-2004 Mural 8'X10', DJ Dimitris Mykonos Studio, Mt.View, CA.
2004 Staff Exhibit, California College of Art, Oakland, Ca.
2004 Private Commission, small oil on canvas, Bernal Heights, SF, CA.
2004 Group Show, Studio Z, Silent Auction, San Francisco, Ca.
2005 Group Show, ArtSF, Say What!?, San Francisco, Ca.
2005 Group Show, ArtSF, Undertones, San Francisco, Ca.
2006 Mara's Salon, Hayse Valley, SF.
2006 Backstage Gallery, Russian Hill, SF.
2006 CCCA Riders Mills Art Exhibition, Chatham, New York
2007 Private Commision, Robert Gibson, Albany, New York
2007 Hudson Arts Walk, Warren Street, Hudson, New York
2008 February, Upstate Artist Guild Silent Auction, Albany, NY.
2008, First Friday, August, Lionheart Pub, Albany, New York.
2008, Too Marvelous for Words, Albany Center Gallery, Albany, New York.
2009, Capital Repertory Theater, one person show, Albany, New York.
2009, The Gallery Bar, "A Portrait of New York", one person show, 120 Orchard Street, NYC.
2009, Lava Gina's, one person show, 116 Avenue C, Manhattan.
2009, NY Public Library, Harlem Branch, one person show, 9 W124th Street, Manhattan.
2009, George Bruce Branch NYPL, one person show, 518 West 125th Street, Manhattan.
2009, Essential, Music and Art Show, 531 West 25th Street, Manhattan.
2010, Essential Music and Art Show, 56 Walker Street, Tribeca, NY, NY.
2010, Art Salon Party, Gilles Larrain Gallery, 95 Grand Street, Soho, NY.
Volunteer Work:
2007-2008, Upstate Artist Guild, Albany, New York. Organizer of three very successful art auctions and performances as fundraisers for UAG. Attended UAG gallery on weekend afternoons.
2005, KQED Public Television, San Francisco, California. Answered phones for SPARK pledge drive, to benefit inner city youth arts program.
2004, Art Seed, San Francisco, California. Assisted with fundraiser art auction for inner city youth arts program.
2002, Precita Eyes, San Francisco, California. Inner city mural and arts program, teaching little kids how to paint.
