I refer to photographs for subject matter. The photographs come from a variety of sources, but are mostly my own. They are a starting point. They vary in subject matter, from people to farmyard animals, landscapes, and still lifes—whatever plays into my current concerns. In the paintings, the image is cropped, manipulated, reduced. Throughout the painting process, I might subtract or add elements, further tuning the composition.

At our core, ultimately we are alone. We are singular. We retain privacy. While we are alive, we consume (sometimes more than our share), and some of us grow soft and complacent. We may feign seriousness or play silly games. Our lives are brief.

For me, there is something very attractive about being alone. There is beauty in self-reflection as one approaches nothingness. But aloneness can also be sad, isolating, and lonely. Even terrifying. My subject as a painter is the confluence of beauty and aloneness in contemporary life.