My paintings focus on urban environments that people interact with on a daily basis. Subjects of building facades, lobbies, and architectural spaces have been constant in my work for a decade. I choose locations that exemplify local urban environments, often unremarkable spaces that many would pass through without pause. I challenge myself to engage in slow, deliberate observations of both their architectural forms and unique details. I study the transformative effect of lighting to the structures and how this alters perceptions and reactions to the site.
The paintings begin with photos taken during my visits, but diverge from photo-realist replications. Details are changed, simplified, or amplified; new elements are imagined and inserted in the scene. The paintings become more than documentation of a location, they become the record of observing the urban landscape. The detailed pictorial observations invite the same level of close scrutiny as I made while on site. The act of viewing the painting becomes a reenactment of the process I engaged at the location – slowing down, observing, and seeing oneself in relation to the space.
During the painting process I remove all human activity from the setting. I focus on the aesthetic form of the built environment to imagine a solo exploration in the vacant scenario.
