A large portion of my work is based on the Photorealist movement's philosophy that Photorealism should be without style or embellishment, and adhere with devotion to reproducing the photographed image as accurately as possible. Form, composition, and style occur naturally, and are illuminated as a result of this neutral approach.
Thematically, the subjects of my paintings are varied, but tend to focus on the often overlooked detritus of our popular culture. By closely examining otherwise ordinary images from our daily life, such as advertising, packaging, television, or our print media, an underlying sense of uneasy comedy is revealed.
I am particularly drawn to images that have been through several generations of media reproduction; for example, the original image for Iraqis on Iraqi TV came from a still frame from a satellite television broadcast reproduced in the New York Times. I photocopied this image, then scanned it in to my computer, and worked with a low-quality inkjet printout. The painting itself is the sixth generation of reproduction for this image, resulting in a mysterious, otherworldly sense that pushes the viewer to an alienated state.
Alienation is not the only subject I hope to explore; I am also fascinated by the undercurrent of violence inherent in our most innocent symbols and images. Otherwise common and unassuming aspects of our culture have a sinister side that is not always readily apparent unless these images are dissected and magnified; an advertisement for "Flexi-Frame" eyeglasses (see Evil Child) may pass by unnoticed in the Sunday circulars, but who can ignore the smug, truly evil face on the child in this picture when it is rendered in bright colors and magnified 3,000 times?