Most of these pieces are made with oil paint sticks on photographs. I take photos of animals—in natural settings, at the zoo, or even specimens in a natural history museum—then select photos that seem to let some element of what we perceive to be the animal’s essential nature show through. I often use what would be considered the worst photos, with poor lighting, bad focus and odd cropping.
The photos give me a wonderful, slick surface and an interesting starting point. I remove what I don’t want with sandpaper and add linework by rubbing paint into sanded areas.
Sometimes the entire photo may be obscured by paint and sometimes I leave areas of the glossy photo untouched, providing an interesting textural counterpoint to the heavily-worked areas. This gives the finished piece an intriguing depth and build-up of layers.
