I think of my work as an exploration of the narrative through painting.  Narratives are fascinating to me because we tell the stories through the details.  We edit the mundane then add the creative to tell the story.  And through the usage of selected details that encapsulates the essence of the event, we turnout a colorful narrative.

To begin a painting I first find a story that I want to work with and use it as my starting point.  I believe its important to have a focal point whether it be fictional or factual to craft and move the narrative forward.  All my work is based this way and it’s the foundation from where I start.

Once the foundation is determined, I grab the images that are representative of the story.  To me, images are like notes of a song.  Each note is essential to form a harmonious composition and is pertinent to the subject that I'm undertaking.  I believe it’s relevant in this postmodern world, to pull images from a variety of sources to help facilitate that narrative.  In our contemporary times we are often bombarded by images from so many different references, both historical and contemporary, that I feel it’s logical and imperative to use anything of constructive value. 

After compiling a library of images to craft the painting, I arrange the images in a manner where they play off the subject and play off each other.  It is important to me that each image is given its own importance, so I outline them, but only slightly.  I never want the image to overpower the narrative, but as a result of outlining, there is often a play of spatial relationships.  Quite often it’s the play between two-dimensional with the three-dimensional.  Sometimes this can be challenging, but usually it’s very rewarding and helps accentuate each separate element.  I often feel my work is akin to modern advertising and find myself being drawn to using the aesthetics of the graphic arts.

My hope at the end of each painting is to create a postmodern narrative that encapsulates the essence of the story and bring together the many elements I’m exploring in a unified expression.