For years, I created hyperrealist portraits in traditional charcoal & graphite.  But a craving for color & texture has led me to mixed media portraiture.  My faces are done in pastel & color pencil with a graphite underpainting, & usually include hair made from alpaca fiber or human hair, clothes from fabric & art papers, & ornament in beads & repurposed materials, concentrating on one brilliant color per piece.

My work is based on mythological motifs that transcend any one culture, expressing universal stories & emotions that make us human, give us hope & beautify ordinary reality.

My influences include Klimt, Hiroshige, Henri Rousseau, Erte, pre-Raphaelites, 19th century illustrators like Edmund Dulac, Elenore Abbott & John Bauer. I’m attracted to their use of brilliant color, mythic themes, ability to turn ordinary reality into a romantic myth. Among artists who do hyperrealist charcoal portraits, I admire J.D. Hillberry, Emanuele Dascanio, & Armin Mersmann.