ARTIST STATEMENT / 2026

My practice as a social realist oil painter is an attempt to confront the deepest wounds inflicted on the most vulnerable people in our society. This series, “Portraits of Resilience”, shines a light on individuals we have, as a society collectively agreed to render invisible: our neighbors on the streets.

My practice as a social realist oil painter is an attempt to confront the deepest wounds inflicted on the most vulnerable people in our society. This series, “Portraits of Resilience”, shines a light on individuals we have, as a society collectively agreed to render invisible: our neighbors on the streets.

Through the deliberate, time honored medium of oil painting, using an “Old Master” indirect painting method I strive to capture the raw, complex humanity of each individual. Social realism demands an uncompromising gaze, one that records the emotional landscape etched by poverty, addiction, and neglect. These are not anonymous Subjects; They are portraits of resilience, painted with the full weight of their history.

But a visual record is only half the truth.

Accompanying each portrait is the subject’s own voice, an unedited audio testament recounting their personal journey. The deliberate pairing of my visual work with the individual story creates an inescapable encounter. You are asked not just to look at a face but to listen to a life. This shatters the comfortable distance of observation and compels the viewer to acknowledge our shared vulnerability.

My passion for this work is forged in my own history. As a former teenage heroin addict I understand intimately how quickly a life can unravel and how easy it is to be discarded by a system that prioritizes profit over people. My canvas is an indictment of the cruelty of unfettered capitalism which treats housing and dignity as commodities, leaving countless individuals to suffer.

This project has evolved naturally from art to advocacy. The connections forged with these individuals spurred me to found a nonprofit organization. We work directly on the streets to provide harm reduction services and essential support.

This exhibit is a call to action. Look closely. Listen deeply. The human struggle reflected in these frames is a mirror held up to us all.