WELCOME

I am a portrait painter in oils. Valuing the traditional painting skills developed by European masters, I am particularly inspired by Renaissance, Classical, Neoclassical and Baroque Paintings. I explore individual humanism and personal subjectivity through multiple layering techniques. I am focused on sensitively describing the three dimensional space of the characters and their dynamic, vivid body language. Most of my paintings employ a dark background to make a strong, chiascoro contrast to the bright colors of my subjects. This is a very tedious, mentally and physically laborious painting process of repeated modification. 

My artworks are greatly informed by the master painters: Raphael and Caravaggio, particularly their religious works, which are inspirational as a Christian. I also research contemporary painters examining and crossing cultures and painting methods such as Kehinde Wiley and Kurt Kauper. My paintings are tied with traditional painting techniques to explore Christian icons and symbolism, but replace historical figures with contemporary subjects wearing carefully chosen contemporary garb. 

Take for example, my painting Disciple Of Christ. In this painting, my inspiration came from Raphael’s painting Saint Catherine of Alexandria, as a symbol of Christian mysticism. In my work, I focused on the visionary aspect of the subject, a disciple’s faith, and painted a woman as she would appear in this generation with her contemporary cloth. With her hand on heart, and her face looking up to heaven, she represents the humility of a contemporary Christian following Christ, but using Raphael’s traditional pose. Another painting I did, Financial Miracle, was inspired by early Renaissance painter Masaccio’s painting The Tribute Money. “The Tribute Money is a narrative fresco of St Peter's life pulled from the Gospel of Matthew (17:24-27). In the specific passage, Christ has directed Peter to collect money out of the mouth of a fish in order to pay the tax collectors.” In my work, my model is a young boy holding a fish. He wears modern clothes and in his pocket are three golden coins. I want to bring the audience into the narrative to interact with the scene inspired by my own several and recent Christ- given financial miracles and to offer a contemporary version Christian symbolism to inspire others to reflect on Jesus Christ. I hope my paintings are a true portrayal of the torch of our time and let the audience feel that artworks are immediate, shortening the distance between art and the viewer’s life.