Figurative Paintings

These paintings are mostly of children in ordinary moments: a bath, a costume, a morning in the playroom. I paint them with the same care and attention I'd give a formal portrait, because to them these moments are serious. I work slowly, in many layers of oil, and I give a small child the same long, careful look I'd give anyone. Children are already complete people, with an innocence and a seriousness all their own. I look for the full person within the child.

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The children in these paintings either look straight back at you or are completely absorbed. Rebecca, the boy in Stepping on Elmo and the two wizards meet your eye calmly, almost appraisingly. In Meditation and Bathtub Chemistry, the child is lost in the water and unaware of anyone watching. Either way, no one is performing. The titles come from inside the child's world. They name what the child thinks is happening, not what an adult sees. I keep the light soft and the color muted, so that the stillness gives small things their weight.

My figurative work is grounded in my studies in anatomy and painting and drawing from life at The New York Studio School, The Art Students League of New York, and The New York Academy of Art.  

​ If you're interested in commissioning a portrait, please contact me.