Nudity strips away preconceived notions and conveys the essence of a concept. Seeing different types of bodies keeps us mindful of the beauty of the differences and similarities we share.

I have always drawn figures from life-drawing studio work to portraits from photographs. I believe when you are able to draw the human figure you are able to draw anything. Proportion, scale, weight, and colour are the foundation for drawing any subject. I'm not sure when my art turned to my series of concepts that always focus on people but figures are essential for the sharing of my concepts.

There is no better way to demonstrate strength, relationship challenges, options and results, than to strip away ideas of an individual and reveal the character of being. The colour of skin, shape of body, sexuality and environment that surround the figure(s) need to be accessible. To that end, I work with body-positive images, flesh tones that are not based on anyone’s reality, sometimes intimate body details or poses, often bold, expressive colours and texture. Sometimes my paintings have recognizable figures in them and other times I abstract them almost beyond recognition to maximize the impact of a concept.

I've been asked many times if I use live models for my work or photographs. I do not. While I have done active sketching of poses, gestures or muscle groups with a model, when I'm painting a concept the figures are all from memory and I guess skills from the years of doing so.