My most recent paintings are a series of colorful life-size, full-length realistic portraits of people I know intimately.  The people are in their own clothes and their own personal space.  I focus on a particular personality trait or feeling that I sense in the person and emphasize that to represent an idea or an emotion that is part of the human condition.  I am inspired by the idea of isolation and the darker emotions.  The triptychs prior to this work are also figurative and focus on these darker emotions.   I paint in thin washes and glazes of oil on canvas (sometimes wood) that produce a smooth even surface that is clean, precise and controlled.  I use crisp lines and semi-geometric shapes to emphasize the volume and weight of the figures.  The space around the figures is minimal and somewhat artificial in order to evoke a mood of tension and, sometimes, discomfort.   I see the portrait as a tool to hone in on a greater truth about our emotional lives, especially the darker side of those emotions—to reveal the weaknesses and imperfections with a probing, but compassionate eye.