My paintings are abstractions masquerading as representational work. Realism functions as my passport at the gate of expressive painting. A grounded foundation allows gesture, color, and composition to build a more robust portrayal than any one could accomplish alone. I am fascinated by the impression of a sitter or the feeling of an object. I expanded my definition of portraiture from dutiful representation to interpretive rendering. Augmenting my oil paintings with elements of collage, oil bar, and screenprinting pushes the work towards a more honest, complete representation. I often use objects as a human proxy when a model would limit the work. Not only to alleviate conceptual pressure on sitters, but to let themes exceed the physicality. The paintings are an investigation into my human experience through each subject. An archive of sincere moments, in masquerade attire or not.