Still Lifes

Soft-edged Realism

My Still Lifes represent the fall of controlled light upon a variety of textures. To produce them I arrange items in a manner that is meant to stimulate the viewer beyond the painting surface: sometimes intended to evoke humor, sometimes intended to imply an event or story. Unlike many traditional still lifes, my contemporary paintings are conceptual: idea driven. Viewers are invited into my fictional world, an imaginary "Kingdom" wherein ordinary and not so ordinary objects comprise characters - a mainstay of which are origami dragons. "Keys to the Kingdom" for example, depicts dragons confronting one another in an undefined power-struggle as onlookers watch. The objects themselves are selected for their symbolism as well as aesthetic contribution, and so must pass through intellectual "filters" in order to participate within a constructed scene. These objects I continue to collect, many of which have a personal connection for me. I have also become very fond of including colored glass to produce luminous shadows: shadows are of major concern to composing my still lifes.

From a technical standpoint, each painting is built up in glazes from a mid-tone ground, with the brushstrokes being largely eliminated by stipple brushes; the end result is a soft edged realism wherein the represented objects are allowed to emerge from their surroundings and shadows. Contours are often lost. Along with glazing and wiping, a variety of other techniques are employed to produce the many subtle surface textures, including dragging, rubbing, and scumbling, and even a few more secretive methods of paint manipulation.