Don’t Blink

Don’t Blink started out as a self-portrait project, and grew into a collection of portraits of people I know and care about.  I photographed my subjects in their everyday clothes, and without any special makeup or posing.  I wanted to capture each person just being themselves.  I did not intend for the paintings to be exact replicas of the photographs.  I never knew how a painting was going to develop, I just reacted to the photograph and my knowledge of the person.  Slowly each painting developed into a portrait that was unique as its subject.

Oil paint has an almost magical ability to create the luminosity of skin.  I instilled the artist’s touch into all of these paintings, allowing for brushstrokes to remain visible. Some of the paintings are very loose with broad brush strokes, while others are tighter and smoother. I wanted the paintings to tell more about the person than the photograph might have because of the use of the paint.

The most important thing about these paintings is that they are a truthful and unflinching look at each person.  I did not idealize them; I painted them as they are.  They are in many ways simple and straightforward.  These are simple quiet moments in the lives of everyday people, but they speak volumes as to the essence of that person.   The very simplest of things can be the most striking and special.