I have always been fascinated by portraiture, realism and the figure.  I am powerfully affected by beauty and ornamentation in painting, and by the intimacy created between a human subject and a viewer.  In my own work, I want to preserve elements of representation, while deconstructing the figure in further exploration of my subject.  While I do not work directly from observation, my paintings are typically inspired by an image or memory of one of my daughters.  Anchored in a gesture that is both personal and familiar, my subjects depart from the specific and evolve into invented individuals.  They become universal portraits of girls during their formative years, marked by a vivid internal consciousness, and at times a sense of social disconnection.  Changeable and often ambiguous narratives emerge, inviting the viewer to consider questions about femininity, identity, transition, and awakenings.

My process is a type of call and response between my subject and the materials I choose.  Paper, fabric, and found materials create new conditions on the surface, in a manner that can’t be accomplished with paint alone.  In recent years, I introduced printmaking to my practice as a source for collage materials. Incorporating different textures, edges and patterns into my paintings often results in contextual shifts, presenting dynamic opportunities for further creative choices.  I use the interplay between image and surface to reveal character through gesture, costume, and environment.