This body of work started from an experimental painting I did 3 years ago and developed into something I wanted or needed to pursue artistically. It has evolved into what I feel is a strong representation of both masculine and feminine, raw and untamed and yet pleasing and sophisticated. My paintings do not represent objects that I am copying. This lack of subject matter allows me to become freer with the paint and the application. I paint with intensity - energy - authority -and let the painting take me where it wants to go.

Contrary to the opinions of those who do not understand art, I do not just throw paint around the canvas in a random way; however, while there is a design element to my work, I still leave a lot of room for the painting to breathe and take its own shape. The work is done in one sitting and at a rapid pace, keeping the strokes raw and natural. While working on this series, I have explored many different ways to apply paint. I started primarily using a brush, but often ended up using my hands and fingers, caught up in the energy of creativity. After breaking my right hand in three places last year, brushwork became very painful. I started using my hands almost exclusively. Using my hands was an excellent form of physical therapy for my hand, but also an opportunity for me to satisfy my need of being more intimate with the paint itself. Using my hands, I can create texture by scratching the canvas, introducing movement by pulling my fingers rapidly through the surface, or adding details by flicking the paint with my fingertips, etc.

I think this series is more me than anything I have completed over the years. Maybe this is because I know myself more now than ever before. I have always believed art saved me and that painting not only teaches one about art but more importantly teaches one about life, who they are, where they are going.