What's the story with the non-rectangular, quadrilateral canvases?
I think the idea originally came from 1950's design elements... print design and architecture. I sketched a border around a drawing and wondered if I could actually build a canvas of a non-rectangular shape. After some trial and error, it turned out I could. I like the way the angles enforce the composition. I've been doing them since 1999.
Are they amputees? Victims of horrible accidents?
Not at all. If a figure is missing a part, it's not the result of any unfortunate accident. If someone is missing an arm, it's the visual manifestation of their disuse of said appendage. No eyes? They're not bothering to look. I don't intend these images to be exact representations of how things actually appear. I'm trying to convey how actions (or lack thereof) affect the individuals being described in paint. I guess I'm more interested in "why" than "what."
Are many of these intended as self portraits?
I rarely intend for a picture to be a portrait of a specific person. I find it can limit the impact of the message. I want anyone to be able to look at an image and see themselves (or someone they know). I end up frequently using myself as a model simply because I'm around, and don't charge for the service.
Where do you get your ideas?
This is always a hard question to answer. Where does anyone get their ideas? I look at the bizarre, maddening, beautiful and frightening world around me and images appear in my head. Many images are spawned from the sorry state in which my country has found itself over the past decade or so. Quite a few defy any sort of clear understanding of where they came from. I look around, and the head meats respond.
When did you start doing this?
I first used oil paint in a high school art class when I was 16. I haven't left it alone for very long, since. I've been drawing in one form or another about as long as I've been able to hold a pencil. This used to get me in quite a bit of trouble. Now it helps pay my rent. Not a bad progression, I'd say.
Do you have another question? Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.