My current work explores the technique of ‘painting' with charcoal. In the absence of color, charcoal creates a theatrical focus on form as revealed by light and shadow, thus heightening the emotional response. I use layer upon layer of various forms of charcoal, incorporating other mediums such as clear acrylic textured gels, pastel, oil pigments, and cold wax mediums. My preferred canvasses are wood panels, which I either prepare with Strathmore drawing paper, or work directly onto the raw wood surface, utilizing the natural grain and striations. I use a variety of tools, from brushes to palette knives, but usually end up working solely with my fingers. A finishing glaze of acrylic or wax allows the work to be displayed without protective glass, and the added textures invites a gentle touch from the viewer, suggesting a sensory experience mirroring my own.


The content of my work is essentially an exploration of my own emotional and conceptual journeys. Through the faces and figures of my paintings, I allow my inner self to be revealed, without any filters or restrictions. I define subtle narrative moments or snapshots, where the viewer can catch a glimpse into the dreams, fears, patience, struggles, and hopes that lie deep within my subjects, and in essence, within me. I speak through glances, gesture, body language, metaphor, and light. Music is hugely influential to my process, bringing out an emotional vulnerability, and assisting in the creation of movement on the flat canvas. And while the faces and body parts I paint are quite often not my own, when one looks at my paintings they are sure to see me; who I am, who I used to be, and who I have yet to become.