Surfaces

Abstract

Self-portraits express a specific existence. Cultural identity, time and death are subjects that define content and process within my body of work. I express an inner reality: an intense struggle disguised within a quiet, contemplative space. Who am I? What am I? How do others perceive me and what really is behind those eyes when I gaze at my reflection? What am I willing to reveal to others or even confront myself'? These questions are inevitable when exploring the seemingly exhausted subject matter of self-portraiture. Today, much of our society dictates itself based upon this understanding of "I." Relationships and interactions with and among individuals are deeply rooted in this critical understanding of both the personal and collective identity, whether cultural, social, or sexual. Although my work is not a platform that discusses politics or intends to spark an issue of debate, I find my work truly parallels the state of the world today-a visceral visual dialogue that investigates human nature. My portraits are stained remnants, a ghost print, recalled after a series of scrapings. They evoke a sense both distant and familiar and a presence both quiet and dynamic. The subject matter dematerializes, and the surface becomes, in itself, a history of making and erasing. My paintings investigate an interior self; an introspective reality that merges Eastern and Western portraiture.