My recent works revolve around the conundrums of aging and legacy.  Both the “Girls With Fur Hats/Fur Hats With Girls” series and the more allegorical “Tombstones!”  images are made with a nod to Old Master Painting heroes like Cranach while sharing affinity with surrealist inspirations like Gorey, Blake, and Balthus.  The images touch on ideas of shifting sexual identity, the relentless devotion and anxieties of family life, the sacrifices of career and the business of death - all imagined with humor and humanity.

Technically, the tensions in the images are in direct dialogue with the handling of the materials.  The paintings are rooted in the Old Master style while giving a wink to formal ideas about scale and composition as nipples teeter on the edges of frames, tiny paintings are detailed into insane obsession, and looser passages of paint sit next to tightly controlled, thinly glazed planes.  My insistence on craftsmanship and beauty become seductive in their own right, but when coupled with the added element of uncomfortable narratives and comedy, they begin to start their own conversations.

The works hover in both content and execution between fragility and strength, but the unmissable tone of fun highlights the joy I have in making each piece.  As we dutifully march our paths, we celebrate and survive all the disappointments, tragedies, and challenges.  We adapt, we are responsible, but still silly and profound, - and we always find ways to just keep on trying.