Original Oil Paintings

Every painting in this series begins as a sculpture. A wax string figure, hand-built from the same colorful, pliable craft material found in children's activity sets, is posed, lit under dramatic directional light, and photographed. Then I paint it!

The technique borrows its lighting from the Old Masters: chiaroscuro shadows that fall across the figure and create a depth that is real, not invented. The palette, however, is entirely contemporary — saturated citrus, coral, teal, deep graphite. Word bubbles and thought bubbles, borrowed from comic book tradition, gives each figure a way to communicate. The figures think one thing. Say another. Or sometimes they say nothing at all. The characters inhabit imagined worlds that feel familiar yet slightly mysterious. Their interactions hint at unspoken conversations, hidden tensions, and moments of humor that invite viewers to invent their own stories.

*Originals are available for purchase and exhibition. Each is unique — the wax string process does not allow for exact repetition. Commission inquiries welcome.