Artist Statement
I use psychological portraiture to discover an emotional connection with my subject. My process begins with photography. I capture the image of my sitter in a studio setting, then use digital manipulation to create a visual interpretation of a specific emotion.
With oil on canvas, I paint warped and distorted images of myself, my friends, and my family to depict feelings of anxiety, burnout, happiness, determination, reflection, and sadness. Photoshop allows me to create an image of how I visualize a feeling that cannot be depicted through natural expression. I often experiment with surfaces and materials to play with texture and mark making. These pieces are painted with distinct sharp brush strokes. The lifelike renderings of my sitters speaks to the authenticity and vulnerability of these people.
I begin with a feeling in mind that I feel or relate to with the model. In Photoshop I create doubled images or merge multiple portraits together to communicate how I see this feeling in my mind. The colors I use depend on the sitter’s skin tone and the background of the original photo. I aim to keep the colors as true to the original photo as possible, while exaggerating them so that the image is highly contrasted for visual appeal.
I find myself motivated to create these portraits to validate how I am feeling. My work is a form of expression and stress relief for me and I aim to feel seen through the images I make.