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essential part of my life has always revolved around art.
My paintings tend to reflect my surroundings, wherever I may
be. Living primarily in Manhattan stimulates my senses to
an infinite degree. In New York, I am inspired enough to draw
or paint on a daily basis. I also spend time in Litchfield,
Connecticut. There, my art is fueled by nature's beauty.
I
approach my work with an initial thought based on a loose
theme. Sometimes the theme is very evident to me when I
start and other times it evolves as I sketch out my ideas.
When I paint en-plein air, I have to work at a fast pace
to capture a moment, which is very exciting. As time passes,
however, I am having a harder time combating the forces
of nature: intense sun, bugs, wind. Bugs stuck to the oils
do add a bit of "reality," but I do not find the
tick bites quite as appealing. As a result I have been painting
inside more, and work outdoors when the elements are kind.
I
travel a lot and many of my paintings evolve from recently
visited locations. I will photograph, sketch, or paint watercolors
on site and then compose larger paintings in my studio,
based on those initials images.
I
also love the process of developing oil sketches from my
nascent ideas, which evolve into portrayals of people and
places. Many paintings have their start in my imagination
and soon take on a life of their own. Often, a feeling or
emotion triggers an image which I will then flesh out in
oil washes. I will then continue to work on the painting
and build up layers of oil paint.
Lately,
I have used images that I have "found" in magazines
and incorporate them into paintings.
I
want a painting to evoke emotions. Achieving this goal is
what I put the most emphasis on while I am working. I would
like the viewer to have an emotional reaction to what they
are seeing, and, hopefully, walk away thinking about it.
BIOGRAPHY
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