As an oil painter, the materiality of paint is important to me in order to manipulate the marks to create an image. My still life painting focuses on individual objects that many describe as kitsch: an aesthetic category that becomes an integral part of our modern culture. To me kitsch is not lowbrow art, it is simply a vessel of memories to popular culture.
When I paint the objects that I collect, I focus on mass-produced porcelain objects that have no specific artistic value since reproduction is mechanized and economic. I’m trying to bring the essence of cherishment to a specific figurine that shows its essential purpose of being “art for the masses”. In my paintings I try to create a timeless space that encloses the subject in its own realm. Painting from life helps me decide how I can manipulate my colors to appropriately display my subjects. Esthetics of the composition plays a crucial role in describing the dialect between the subject and the viewer. Some of the subjects demand the center stage while others are pushed aside because they create a dynamic between physical spaces and the viewer’s point of observation.