Although I work in a hyper/photorealistic style, I consider myself a classical romantic surrealist, juxtaposing Magritte like oversized objects, within scenes, to create meaningful metaphors. My influences, which have shaped my work over the past several decades, are, Magritte, Dali, Bosch, the Pop art movement, the Photorealist movement, and most recently, Gerome.
My medium is acrylic paint on linen canvas. I isolate each transparent wash, of values from light to dark, with a gel medium glaze to create texture and depth. My ideas come to me as visions. Many times these visions come from the hypnogogic state known as the unconscious middle zone between wake and sleep. Once I receive an image, I follow up with extensive photo research. Working with photos is a great reference tool for me, but is simply a launching pad, not the destination. The strength of my work lies in the reconciliation of opposites — the humdrumness of urban living with the dream of utopia based in nature, and the exaltation of the fragile over the powerful, are recurring themes in my work. With the use of composite imagery and shifts of scale between everyday scenes, situations and common objects, I weave a tapestry blending threads of satire, irony, conflict, and hope.
By the very Grace of God, painting has been not only a gift, but also my full time profession for over forty years, thus, survival as an artist is my greatest challenge and goal. My artistic goals are to keep the integrity of my work intact in the midst of novelty and passing fads, while recording my impressions of society, culture and environment for the good of humanity.