Purgatory (2017)
Portraiture has long interested me because of its solitude. Elevated yet isolated, the subject becomes his or her own context. Tucked inside portraiture is my focus on the private world of self-portraiture. Imbued with the added dimension of the artist as subject, the image captures the artist’s physical, as well as the psychological, condition.
In my images, I graphically communicate the juncture of my external and internal sentiment. No moment in my day weds those two aspects of life better than sleep. Unlike the bustle of most waking hours, the night is unaccompanied, free from influence, and uniquely personal. It is isolation in an otherwise crowded and perennially connected world. It is a forced introspection, containing unrefined emotion, ranging from the soothing to the grotesque. It is charged with memory and reflection, weaving together the elements of color, silence, truth and resilience. Through a combination of photography and drawing, Purgatory presents the nocturnal milieu I have experienced while in Albany and the influence this setting has exerted on my art.