My work has been created to try and understand the American state of mind. For so long, America walked without fear in the world. Over the recent years, however, she has begun looking over her shoulder.

I anthropomorphize cars in various situations. These seemingly impenetrable one-ton machines to become vulnerable, rejected and lonely. The cars become a metaphor for Americans and our relationships with each other and the world. Revealed is our current American state of mind, filled self-consciousness and a unique dread.

The most important formal elements I use to communicate these concepts are strong light and graphic composition. I keep my compositions simple, so the focus is only one or two cars. The role of this car--this anonymous citizen--is compelling to, and reflective of, the viewer. The usually harsh and minimal light sources available to me in these scenes create a desolation unique to the location making the subject of the dejected citizen undeniable.

On a technical level, I embrace indirect oil painting fully. The light and chromatic variations present at these scenes is only done justice by a technique that by its own nature requires subtlety and an intuitive sense of texture. In order to force the viewer to face the concepts mentioned above within themselves, they must first be compelled to examine the painting. To achieve this, I paint so that every square inch is as engrossing as the next. The viewer is forced to stay in the space of the painting, and face the very desolation they have felt for so long.