I’m interested in the history of childhood as a concept. Today, childhood seems to be in a perpetual state of redefinition, with influences from the media, commerce, technology, and globalization. I am also fascinated with late 15th to early 16th century European painting. During this period, Realism in art was instrumental to religious devotion. Holy figures were represented as corporeal, yet idealized beings. I feel that this tradition is echoed in the adoration of children in contemporary secular society. The abundance of glorified, sensationalized, and sexualized media images in our youth-centered culture inspires me to paint figures that appear more real than reality: so they at once seem artificial, ethereal, and hyper-human.