I am a storyteller. My paintings are usually based on images from the news, magazines or photos that I take. Something about the image catches my eye - a gaze, a pose, a setting. Often, it is just watching someone interacting with another person or their surroundings. Although many of my subjects are strangers, my paintings become psychological studies of them, pushing the boundaries beyond traditional portraiture.
The intimacy and humanism of studies of ordinary people by Goya and Rembrandt inspire me. In my own work, I often paint isolated figures with a haunting gaze, suggesting the current of anxiety that exists in today's world.
My moody and mysterious portraits evince strength, vulnerability and emotion while questioning popular ideas about gender, race and beauty. There is often a sense of loss and renewal.