ARTIST STATEMENT

 

The line between humor and pity is thin. It is the humor, and at times the ridiculous, that inspires and surfaces in my work. In my art I tell short stories informed by strong waves of feeling in my life. In the composition I use melodramatic tools of movement and stillness, gestures and attitudes, lights and shades. I have adopted theatrical lighting technique to express the inaccuracy of memory. My themes are of the intimate inner worlds, the utter indifference and extreme self-absorption. The characters do not shy from grotesque and satirical exaggerations, and they can also be presented at an elevated state in celebration of the individual.

 

In my practice I rely on my sketches, photos and the emotional memories that left an imprint on me at the time of inspiration. I am focusing on the essence of the character by taking them out of their environment and placing them in a suggestive, timeless place. I engage in as little detail as necessary to share my stories as a result my work encompasses abstract shadow-like impressions to idealized realism.

 

The surface of my works carries my artist-presence of creation. When painting I embrace the physical quality of the paint; the guided marks left by strokes of palette knives and brushes are responsible for the painting’s vibrant presence. In my drawings the hard pencil marks attract the viewers to step closer to see the detail, thus breaking the limit of personal space and symbolically exposing my intimate self.

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