Artist Statement | Why It Looks Like This

I work from ordinary visual moments. Small gestures, passing expressions, details most people would not stop for. I choose them on purpose. When they are built carefully and examined closely, they carry more presence than expected.

My paintings use photorealistic methods with a graphic structure. Contrast is intentional. Cropping is intentional. Simplification is intentional. I remove what is unnecessary so the image can stand without support.

I am not aiming for polish. I am aiming for resolution. The piece is finished when the structure feels settled and nothing needs to be adjusted to make it more agreeable.

Some series use inversion or tonal shifts to change how emotion reads. In Teenage Negativity, a photo-negative palette alters how mood and vulnerability register. Other works push expression toward a silent-film directness, where gesture carries the message without explanation.

My fused glass and mixed media work introduces more material interaction and less surface control, but the decision making is the same. Form, balance, and visual weight still lead.

Across media, the standard is consistent. The work should hold attention through clarity, structure, and deliberate choices. Not decoration. Not trend. Not filler.