I am fixated on the face, head, body, and naked soul, and all that makes up a portrait and contributes to a dialogue on identity. I transcribe my responses of what I observe through layers of colors and brush marks which result in a pile of thoughts and recorded impulses; the sheer accumulation transforms into a representation of that which I am painting. They are thoughts made manifest by considered responses expressing what I see and what I don't. I see the person in physical form and through painting am able to visualize something else equally as authentic. I can look at the subject for hours and then suddenly its like they have transformed right in front of my eyes, re-birthed and shed a skin. It is un-paintable. It is spiritual. I endeavor to create something just as real, just as living, just as authentic, just as spiritual.

Consider the following statement by Shahrokh Meskoob, "Identity is a reactive matter and attention to self becomes more meaningful in relation to others." When I think about this statement as it relates to the object/painting, it too becomes more meaningful through the artist’s and subject’s interaction with it and in relation to a greater viewing audience and community. The opportunity for provocation, reaction and the derivation of meaning is exponential.