Artist Statement

I am interested in the multifaceted nature of portraiture in the digital age. Far from becoming obsolete, the painted portrait has been renewed in the postmodern, post-photography age. In portrait painting, a connection between the artist and the subject is created by the act of building an image stroke by stroke. This connection is unusual in a time of virtual reality and high-speed, mediated experience. There remains, however, much to be explored in the question of who is portrayed and how. I hope to expand the boundaries of portraiture by creating works with and about people who are underrepresented in society and in art. Through mixed media installations, I hope to challenge schisms in artistic as well as social understanding.