I work from my own photographs; these snapshots are a point of departure for my paintings. Architecture figures prominently. Not the extraordinary, but the every day; the structures and settings that really figure in the patterns of our lives. Sometimes I’ll paint the emblematic if it’s functional and interesting.

My intent is to explore these themes in a simple light, sometimes the raking light of late afternoon or early morning. I also try to come up with a unique perspective; one that might not be possible in the “real world”. This makes the composition more interesting to paint by setting up a whole different set of problems that don’t exist in the textbook perspectives. Besides, we have the photograph if one wants to see “the real thing”. By eliminating everything that seems superfluous (balcony railings, trim around windows, lettering on signage) I can bring the viewer closer to the mood or emotion I want to create because their mind’s eye and experiences fill in these blanks, if they want them filled in. I don’t put people in these scenes anymore. That way the viewer is free to wonder through them at will. Occasionally, I’ll see a picture I’d like to walk around in, but I can’t because there are already others in there.