My paintings stem from my deeply felt connection to intimate objects in my surrounding environment. These small, meticulously detailed oil paintings arise from the process of intense observation, this act of looking long, carefully, and closely at a particular situation. This meditative practice enables me to slow down and study the world with a concentrated level of attention and care. In the words of the American poet Elizabeth Bishop, “what we desire in art is the same thing that is required for its making: an attention that exceeds all usefulness.”

My working process is extremely slow and laborious. The paintings develop into an accumulation of my devotion both to the object represented and the image which emerges from it. As I build the paintings up in many layers over time, I often lavish countless hours on a single piece. I work in the long-established tradition of oil painting, which appeals to me because of its broad history and its remarkable technical qualities. I seek to imbue these paintings with polish and precision while also maintaining a sensual and painterly surface. Furthermore, I strive for rich color and clear designs with a high level of description and detail.

My most recent body of work focuses on patterns, particularly those from the Aesthetic Movement created by the British textile designer, William Morris. Using commodified patterned objects purchased at a museum gift shop, such as a journal or a set of coasters, I re-contextualize these decorative artifacts into my own personal narratives. A pattern, usually relegated to the margins as “purely decorative”, becomes the focus of the image; these objects are transformed into my own icons of beauty.