My work deals with themes of the macabre and the grotesque. I see these tropes as a way of revealing something deeper about ourselves. I desire to convey the grotesque in a beautiful and dramatic way.

In my portraits of disfigured soldiers, I seek to convey how these soldiers have been transformed both physically and mentally by their grievous injuries. These men serve as physical manifestations of the atrocities of war and extreme nationalism.

Advancements in medical science made it possible for men who were severely disfigured to survive their wounds. In previous wars they might not have survived. During both of the world wars the potential disfigurement of the face was seen as the worst possible fate. Documentation at the time suggested that to lose one’s face was to lose their identity; to become a stranger not only to their friends and loved ones, but to themselves.

By painting in an impasto style, I aim to show the physicality and malleability of the paint and its relation to flesh. Working with a palette knife to distribute thick clumps of paint across the canvas, I hope to convey how flesh can be rearranged and distorted.

I challenge the viewer to meet the gazes of my portraits and consider how the act of violence can destroy not only one’s physical form but one’s identity as well.