Statement

My current series consists of portraits of my creative heroes from the 1980s. Instead of referencing a biological family tree to find my thread of connection, I reach back to my chosen roots: looking to the artists who exuded self-acceptance, confidence, and defiance of societal norms within their music and story telling.

A painting first begins with the memory of a song. I listen repeatedly and then research the music video. I reduce the video’s speed to help me find the right emotional moment or to find an intriguing facial expression that captures my interest. Once chosen, the image is then manipulated to enhance its color, and cropped to find an attractive composition. I crop the image quite close to the face to home in on the expression and to decipher what I feel is behind their eyes.

I ask: What could they be thinking? How did they find their way in the world? Do they possess the psychological attributes that I project onto them?

As a young person I did not have many positive role models, but I did find some on my radio. These artists gave me a sense of community and of belonging. Through their songs they told me that it was okay to feel different or weird, that it was imperative that I truly be myself, and that life could be a great adventure of my choosing.

The process of painting these individuals feels like a healing meditation. I paint them with reverence to honor their influential role in my life.