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I love the small Dutch genre paintings
of the 16th century that depict ordinary people in ordinary activities.
I am trying to paint genre paintings of the 20th /21st century.
I take my subject matter from small black
and white snapshots of the 1930’s, ‘40’s and ‘50’s.
I choose snapshots rather than formal or posed portraits because
snapshots show persons caught unaware and reveal a more authentic
moment than a more formal image usually displays.
My intention is to recreate within the
small framework, the specific moment caught by the camera. I attempt
to express the personality of the person(s) through their body language
and the way they are positioned in relationship to each other and
to express the feeling of the time or era in which they exist with
atmosphere and color. Some of these elements may be present in the
black and white snapshot, but they are not always obvious. I enhance
the image by using my intuitive sense of the scene to imagine the
colors that were there as the photo was snapped, and to bring to
life the black and white image.
I feel that I am having a conversation
with the images of the people as I paint them. They open up to me
as I study the photograph and see the subtleties of their expressions
and bearing. I then try to make that revelation part of the painting.
I also enjoy painting small-scale portraits
and I have taken commissions to create paintings for people who
have old family snapshots that are meaningful to them and which
they wish to preserve and transform into art.
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