Artist Statement
My figurative paintings explore my relationship with my wife, through the use of delicate and harmonious colors. The subtle, yet meticulously layered marks allude to a fascination with the traditional style of figurative painting. Using oil based pigments on either canvas or panel I explore scale according to each individual composition, ranging from small portrait work to life sized figures.
The main idea of my work is to express, in a poetic and/or romantic way, the love that I have for my wife, whom I recently married. Through the act of painting her, I express the struggle that one might have of conveying love and admiration through normal means. My work turned from a very heavy use of the self, to a love for the female figure; intimidating, but at the same time beautiful. There is closeness to the work that the viewer may experience by imposing their own familiarity of intimacy, love, and infatuation.
Some of my influences are Rembrandt, John Singer Sargent, and William Bouguereau. Rembrandt is one of my biggest influences, because he explores the idea of the portrait as something more than a representation of a certain person, but as an idea of life and how age can have beauty and wisdom. Another important influence is John Singer Sargent, because although he mostly painted portraits of rich people, he was able to capture their personality and not only their status symbol. Lastly, one of the most important influences on my work is William Bouguereau. His immense fascination for the female body and his relentlessness are an inspiration to me that not very many artists are able to accomplish.
My figurative paintings explore my relationship with my wife, through the use of delicate and harmonious colors. The subtle, yet meticulously layered marks allude to a fascination with the traditional style of figurative painting. Using oil based pigments on either canvas or panel I explore scale according to each individual composition, ranging from small portrait work to life sized figures.
The main idea of my work is to express, in a poetic and/or romantic way, the love that I have for my wife, whom I recently married. Through the act of painting her, I express the struggle that one might have of conveying love and admiration through normal means. My work turned from a very heavy use of the self, to a love for the female figure; intimidating, but at the same time beautiful. There is closeness to the work that the viewer may experience by imposing their own familiarity of intimacy, love, and infatuation.
Some of my influences are Rembrandt, John Singer Sargent, and William Bouguereau. Rembrandt is one of my biggest influences, because he explores the idea of the portrait as something more than a representation of a certain person, but as an idea of life and how age can have beauty and wisdom. Another important influence is John Singer Sargent, because although he mostly painted portraits of rich people, he was able to capture their personality and not only their status symbol. Lastly, one of the most important influences on my work is William Bouguereau. His immense fascination for the female body and his relentlessness are an inspiration to me that not very many artists are able to accomplish.
