“As a realist painter I attempt to imbue my work with a meaning and depth that transcends the recognizable objects that inhabit the canvas. I have always been intrigued by the skillful use of simile and metaphor in accomplished writing and my paintings are an attempt to capture its use in a visual format. For me art is the act of myth making and storytelling. It is a coveted opportunity to cut out a window in the common world so that I can place my hands on the windowsill and poke my head fully into another.

“People and animals have always intrigued me as subjects, because they are powerfully symbolic. I have a great interest in anatomy and mechanical function and each opportunity I have to paint a figure provides an education about how parts fit together and how forms coexist with shadow and light. Because of their physical complexity, human and animal figures offer ample opportunity for emotional expression and an endless challenge that I relish.

“The ultimate aim for me as an artist is to communicate with viewers. Having other people find personal meaning in one of my works is a great and humbling compliment and I tend to feel slightly awestruck by the intimacy of the exchange. Creating art is at once a demonstrative and private act and when another human being can take away something significant from my personal expression it means that I and this individual have had a private dialog. It’s a human exchange that I will never grow tired of.”