In my current work, I am exploring the portraiture tradition by using objects -- or belongings -- rather than faces to explore the human experience. I think of these paintings as "portraits in absentia." For me, all personal objects tell a story of their owner, in the process revealing so much about that individual’s psyche and life experiences. A pair of shoes, for example, might speak of the desire for luxury and adornment, the need for protection or the simple utility of a working life. Each of my recent paintings is a portrait of a person I know or have met, and by using their shoes as a stand-in for the self, I am revealing something truthful about their personalities, choices and journeys.

I have long been intrigued by the power of a solitary object—a luscious pastry, a pair of stiletto heels, a ripe pear—to ignite the imagination. I find a lone item challenging; it pushes me to delve more deeply into an exploration that uncovers and conveys the details of its owner’s narrative.

In the tradition of my heroes Vermeer and Zurbaran, I use light to create aura. I place my subjects under a spot light, as if they are on “center stage,” to heighten the air of mystery and grandeur I see in the story I want to describe.

In the past year, I have become fascinated with shoes as emblems of the person who wears them. The deep emotional content inherent in these very personal objects presents rich opportunities for storytelling.