Abstract
Color in my portrait work is more than a descriptive modifier; it is a subject with its own character, form, and qualities. My painted subjects, embodied by both a common resemblance to their human counterparts and powerful color effects, become, like Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a person with two minds. A series of shadows behind my subjects repeats this theme of duplicity. Describing my subjects with nearly mechanical accuracy,I am able to develop a tension in my portraits between what is apparent and what is concealed behind layers. That my subjects appear realistic makes this effect all the more haunting.The conceptual engine that drives my paintings, then, is what I will call throughout this document "the mysterious." Mystery, the consequences of invisible forces acting on the visible world, is generated in my work by strongly emphasizing color(even to the extent that a color acts contrary to the normal rules of light and shadow), by rendering subjects in layers of fine glazes, and by stacking light sources and color effects.Through the mysterious, I am able to respond to a number of visual and historical problems in painting-for instance, realism and romanticism-as well as to my own Catholic faith, wherein my relationship to mystery is formed personally as well as institutionally.