Artist Statement
In the past, while working on my abstract, color field paintings, I began to photo-document the urban landscape around where I work. My art studio in San Francisco is located on an abandoned naval shipyard surrounded by decaying buildings and the bay. Over time I became more interested in these images than my abstract paintings, so I decided to start making representational paintings based on my photographs. The structure and problem solving of realism satisfied an existential need that had not been fulfilled in my abstract work.
I am also inspired by the Venetian Renaissance masters – Bellini, Titian and Giorgione – and I try to capture the quiet beauty of their work. I use many layers of paint and transparent oil glazes to transform desolate landscapes into harmonious compositions of color and light, keeping with the style of my favorite artists.