My art is about a personal exploration of the subject and the materials used to create the work. Regardless of whether the subject is something as mundane as a toothbrush or as awe inspiring as the beauty of nature, it has to speak to me in some way. I have to feel an empathy towards the subject and desire to form a relationship with it, as inevitably I am affected by the feeling or mood of the subject. My paintings evolve organically from life's everyday glances. Rather than trying to force my will on them, I give them total control. Each layer determines and guides the next. My paintings are a dialogue between giving and taking. I don't want to sign the work until it looks like it has been lived on, until I have violated the open white space and created something that can become independent of me and fend for itself.