> LOVE, STRENGTH AND SOUL <

The paintings in the Urban Portrait series spring from a life long fascination with the emotionally expressive power of the human face combined with an intense interest in the juxtaposition of man and his environment. I am concerned with accurately recording the physiognomy of individuals, yet I am also intent on discovering through my models metaphors for greater aspects of the human condition. Additionally, inherent in the double portraits is a possible implied narrative - open to individual interpretation - including questions as to the relationship of the figures to each other and the profound effect of proximity to another person, regardless of interaction. 

I’m attempting to explore the psychological relationship between the sitters and motifs of “urban decay” -found primarily in Brooklyn- that serve as “stages”: the implications and aesthetics of decrepit doorways, graffiti-covered walls, neglected brick warehouses and other dilapidated structures patched with wood and corrugated steel. I am interested in the portrait as a dignified symbol of life and perseverance as well as the unexpected organic vibrancy of a rusting metal door providing a backdrop to the sitter and possibly an entrance to shelter. I find fascination in the relationships of ethnicity, social identity, race and urban sub-culture, particularly the influences of hip-hop and graffiti in particular - is this a form of expression to be considered simply vandalism, or a cultural phenomenon of social significance and artistic importance (a record of the human impulse to literally leave one’s mark, perhaps first seen in cave painting?)

Finally, I would like to investigate through these “urban portraits”: are the individuals captured in the paintings to be viewed as products of their environment, instigators of change in the perception of stereotypes, or simply just “tourists” passing through the “concrete jungle”?