Portrait Paintings
Winters in New England are cold enough to drive the artistic practice inside; placing plein air landscape painting on hold till Spring. Working in paint, in clay, and various other materials to create portraits provides an opportunity to contemplate the experience of being human from a more personal, intimate vantage point. Winter warmth requires closeness.
Clay and oil paint share certain material characteristics. Thick oil paint and dense wet clay can both be formed into heavy textures or thinned out to a finely smoothed surface wash. With oil paint the physical qualities of the material speak in a bold three-dimensional, textural language that I understand.