Artist Statement

In my paintings, I appropriate movie characters from different eras and contrast them so that we can draw on the realistic characteristics that are applicable in our lives.

Movies are an illusion and the stories are fictitious, the viewers’ feelings become reality. We watch as characters grow and develop, just as we do. We empathize with the characters. The audience feels something based on the fully developed characters. 

The movie characters I contrast are part of popular culture. My work draws on the already established identity and virtues of the chosen characters. There are common physical similarities shared by the characters as well as the underlying virtues demonstrated within their movies. The contrast is magnified through the application of color and painting style.

For example, in one of my works I contrast James Stewart with the silhouette of Bugs Bunny and the outline of Frank from Donnie Darko, who wears a rabbit suit. Through the juxtaposition of rabbits and James Stewart, I am alluding to the 1950 movie Harvey.  While the reference may not be enlightened to everyone, the viewer is still able to communicate with the painting. The symbolism of the rabbit in Donnie Darko and Harvey is a reflection of the protagonists’ self-ego; however, both movies contain very different moods. This contrast provides insight into Hollywood’s representation of the human condition across time.