Inspirations and Preferred Subjects: My work can be divided into several themes: children & parenting, domestic violence, and past relationships with former wives and girlfriends and political issues. At times, the boundaries of these subjects can overlap. Both of my boys (13 & 15) have inspired me through their observations of the world they see and live in. Early drawings of them (1997-2007) document my concerns as a parent and raising children and their vision of children’s play in an adult setting. I sometimes include their drawings or handwriting within my imagery and many of my drawings are titled from words and phrases they invent. As my children mature to young adults, my themes have matured with them into larger concerns such as parental communication and their own relationships with each other and fellow teenagers.
Another source of inspiration is my wife, a former domestic violence prosecutor. In 2004, I began a series of drawings that dealt with women being the victims of domestic violence, physically and emotionally, and portrayed them with a startling reality. Recent drawings discuss the treatment of women’s in today’s society.
Artists who inspire me are Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Millais, Thomas Eakins and more recently, John Currin and Paul Fenniak. My very realistic work is done in the style of Italian and Southern Baroque Art, creating drama through lighting and darkness and at times, through climax of the event depicted or the end result. Some of my drawings are direct salutes to specific Old Masters drawings. Some of the figures I draw will be distorted in proportions to emphasize space.