I Am a Rock is an exhibit of works on paper depicting my family members in moments of leisure.
The human form is at the core of my art making. A family trip to the island of Crete a few years ago sparked a renewed interest for representing figures and portraits in the most direct way.
I have always found it visually appealing to reduce my familiar world to forms and colors, and as I was observing my family as they were lying on the beach, I saw them simultaneously as objects and as subjects. They appeared to be solid dense forms, like the rocks that lay near them or like ancient statues. Achieving a physical likeness is not my goal. What draws me in is seeing something new in what is seemingly familiar. It is when I am observing my family in states of non-doing or daydreaming that I am inclined to paint them. These are moments when I am present and my purely visual insight flows.
The works in the exhibit are gouache on paper with the exception of three framed drawings done in colored pencils and dry pastel, some made from direct observation and others based on my photographs.