I have combined sculpture, oil paint, and bold, vibrant colors in an effort to create a style of painting that spans the gap between realism and abstract art. I feel that such a bridge is important to make an impact on today's art world and think we have reached a point where abstract art has become the norm and has even become a stereotype of art. As a result the shock value it once carried is often replaced by disinterest by those who do not understand it or find it unappealing. We have reached a point where the freedoms created by the abstract movements must be combined with some of the structures of realism to create works that are inviting and yet at the same time challenging to its audience.

Color is the essence of my artwork and to enable me to be totally free to use color I have developed a style employing silhouettes. These silhouettes create a contrast which offsets the colors in the painting and allows me the freedom to be as intense as I feel necessary with the colors. In addition, I employ lots of negative space within my paintings which allows me to limit value changes within the individual colors. As a result I am able to use large bold areas of color which magnifies the contrast between those colors. Also in order to maintain that contrast as well as include detail I have developed a method of using sculpture within the painting to render the silhouettes in a three-dimensional manner. This in turn creates a depth that the use of negative space often prevented me from showing. It also allows me to expand my choices of subject matter while maintaining the same style throughout my work. I generally use no more than seven basic colors in my paintings and I mix them directly from the tubes onto the canvas. I feel that this allows me to be spontaneous and let the painting develop intuitively rather than trying to force it into some preconceived box. Also I use heavy brush strokes and an impasto style to suggest movement and further create depth within the painting.