Public vs. Private Face

The moment the composure breaks and laugher, movement and soul is revealed. I couldn't avoid painting the intimacy of this moment as the subject bends over in laughter. She is laughing at her own need to pose, to articulate a different persona than the boisterous one she's put at bay for her portrait.

The moment the composure breaks and laugher, movement and soul is revealed. I couldn't avoid painting the intimacy of this moment as the subject bends over in laughter. She is laughing at her own need to pose, to articulate a different persona than boisterous one she's put at bay.

A man and woman partnered in an embrace. There have been and will be many more embraces and each one will strengthen her and define her. She is the supportive trunk and the memories and partners fade in and out only to give a woman what she needs in that moment.

The subject gazes away. Her mind rests somewhere far away while she sits exposing her body. The contrast of the pale background reflects the uneasiness with which the woman sits. Nevertheless, she is elegant in her repose. The question stands: where does the elegant solemnity come from? Is she comfortable? Is she posturing?

Portrait of a San Francisco native poet and writer. Her stare is reserved. She comes up close, but does not let you in. Instead, her work is displayed for you to learn. This was the initial portrait that led me to the the private versus public face portrait series.

Double mother and child portraits that draw parallels between the artist and her mother. Tells the faded story of her mother becoming a doctor and PHD while she had children with a war brewing all around her and an eventual escape to a then hungry new Moscow. She is surrounded by dust from fires and the swept away ideologies of a socialist USSR. The mother and child to the right stand in the foreground only to fight new battles.

The madness of the neverending lists that reel in our heads and weigh on our bodies and minds daily is displayed here.It's one of the many things women work through every minute of everyday. The subject is a mother who listed resale items for a living.The painting showcases the moment when clean up had gone awry and racks had fallen over her body. It so clearly displayed how the neverending lists take over our mental and physical experience as women.

A complex grid of the love, companionship and sometimes confinement and loneliness that is experienced in marriage.

The dominant figure, a woman in labor, is lost amidst the distortion of space from hospital lights, computer screens and plastic tubing. Only her thick thighs ground her as she pushes. The pain is not beautiful: it drives through her.

A response to the police brutality that has been placed in the forefront of media (2020). This painting illustrates a couple holding each other and their child. It is meant to draw attention to the fact that mother's of black children can never reach far enough to protect their families. It is a call to action for all mothers to teach their young children about the horrors of systemic racism because no single woman's reach is great enough to protect her child against the world.

Portrait of Susan Hilferty, artists, designer and mentor absorbed in her most precious gift-knowledge. I painted her in honor of Mother's Day 2022. Motherhood comes in all forms and at all times throughout our lives. Our village mothers train us to trust our gut and fill our souls. They teach us that we are worth it. This is a woman who leads her village to grow strong and find beauty within themselves and in the world.

Portrait of husband and wife. A play on the notion of public and private self is displayed within the composition, pose and repetitive linear background. 3D flower overlay and collage reflect the way in which what a person consumes and creates can easily become their identifiers. Overall, warm tones fill the space and are juxtaposed against a rigid and removed pose and composition to indicate a private love. Collage textile prints combine the couples' ethnic backgrounds blending into one.

Closeup displays newspaper clippings, academic writers authored by subject and 3D flowers made from torn fashion ads.

Portrait of woman and mother who balances a free spirit with the need for order and balance. She evokes a modern take on the Madonna and Child.

Portrait of a dancer, illustrator and mother. The subject is caught in between poses, lifting her chignon with a soft and subtle upward motion- a timeless gesture practiced by many a women in bygone eras. She is the coming together of the traditional old world and her carefree modern self.

A smiling face with patched and covered surfaces. She is not perfect, she merges with her ancient roots, but a light spirit draws forward and dissolves the past, the history and challenges.

Portrait of a young girl. Her hurt is displayed in her deep stare and folded gesture. a climbing rail and transitional color story gives us hope of where she is to go.

A smile warms whoever she lays eye on. Her expression and body are warm and soft and pop away from a jumbled backdrop of shadows and unknown shapes.

Captures the moment of absolute peace and quiet when you allow yourself to sink down to the bottom of a pool. You are weightless. As a new mother, I yearned for the weightlessness and calm of this sensation.

Body and space reflect the internal experience of subject.

Exhibits another sleepless night filled with unending thoughts.