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When I paint the figure, I am not concerned with presenting a realistic portrait. I want my figure to be part of an interesting design that covers the entire surface of the paper or canvas. I want to emphasize color, shape and expressive gesture and often flatten and decorate my figures to achieve that goal. In many of my paintings, I do not give my figures detailed facial features because I don’t want the face to be the focus of the work. I prefer the figure to be integrated into the whole, one part of the overall design. I often work from photos, but use them only as a jumping off point for my imagination, more often than not, I alter the background, colors and clothing to suit my design.
"My New Red Shoes" 20 X 16 Oil
"Concert on a Bench" 15 x 20
Watercolor and Gouache