Body language is an overarching theme in my work. I use a pose of a human figure to convey emotions relating to the inspiration in each painting. This narrative technique is fascinating because body language is a universally understood form of expression, transcending cultural and background differences. The objective is for individuals to establish a personal connection with the artwork, making it meaningful to them.
My paintings are grouped into collections based on inspiration. This allows me to expand on one idea and for multiples to be displayed beautifully. The inspiration is sometimes related to current life, an idea people around me have been expressing, or something I find interesting. In the case of commissions the inspiration comes directly from the collector.
I pull out the feelings and emotions within each inspiration. From there I sketch those in a figure form through body language. The sketching process is the most important and time consuming part of the process. When working with a pose every detail counts from head to toe. When sketching for the collection I May Bend But I Will Not Break I had to make sure the figure was placed in an extremely exaggerated pose that would be difficult in reality, the form was anchored, and there was movement within the line. I always want to encapsulate motion. After this process I am usually left with pages and pages of pencil drawings. I refer to these pages when deciding on composition.
All of this research helps me interpret the initial inspiration, but it is also practice. The sketching process helps my hand understand where lines go in relation to others to achieve this minimalist look. This enables me to concentrate on texture and line, experimenting with my brush, twisting and turning it to shape each form in the painting.
