Inexhaustible and profoundly beautiful, the diversity of the body has always been an endless source of inspiration for me.  I am cognizant, however, that the representation of the human form is nearly always a political act, one that is complicated by the inherently problematic nature of the subject/object relationship itself.  While the politics of representing the body extend across multiple and varied domains, my artistic practice has most generally involved a critical exploration of historical/mythological constructs of beauty, sexuality and gender in relation to socio-cultural attitudes towards the body. 

I approach my work with an understanding of the idea that the way in which we perceive our bodies, and the bodies of others, is deeply influenced both by contemporary pop culture and visual media, as well as a long history of archetypal constructs of beauty from classical antiquity to the Renaissance Madonna.  As such, I am drawn to the subversive potential of the body, its capacity to create dialogue and push the boundaries of our own comfort zones. I am not interested in the illusion of polished perfection.  There is a specific kind of beauty in a scar, a stretch mark, in all the so-called “imperfections” that we obsess over.  These are the markings of a body that is real, tangible, lived in, a body that has grown, changed. 

My works are not portraits in the traditional sense.  I do not aim simply to capture a likeness.  It is the experience of working with someone that intrigues me, and I am constantly challenged to bring to life some aspect of this on paper.  The visual layering of imagery in my present work resulted from the desire to capture this vitality, the dynamics and the energy of those brief moments of interaction.  I prefer to let the model set the tone, to do whatever comes naturally or feels right in that moment.