I consistently maintain an interest in painting and drawing the figure. I find issues of identity, memory, family, and society particularly compelling, and have found that the figure is peculiarly capable of communicating ideas associated with these topics. Painting has a history of narrative, and so it seems an appropriate medium to relate stories of my own and others’ experiences as individuals and in society. I observe and record these experiences, working from subjects and memory, using invented or exaggerated characters to keep my stories of tragedy and hilarity relatable to the viewer. I subtly entwine other ideas in the subject matter and make them accessible to the viewer through humor, intimate or encompassing scale, sensual application of paint, attractive color, and quirky characterizations of the figure. The resulting paintings and sculptures are open-ended narratives which allow the viewer to personally associate themselves with the subject matter. Though I always intend a specific message through painting, I personally enjoy the mystery which results from a non-textual story and viewers’ individual responses. I want to encourage the personal association because my content refers to what I see as general but sometimes overlooked aspects of human relationships and behavior.