This series of intimate, 6 inch square paintings of neon signs done in gouache was begun as a companion to my earlier series of larger oil paintings. Initially meant to be rough, expressive studies, I quickly saw the potential of gouache as a material well-suited to the kind of draughtsman-like style of painting I have always enjoyed. As a result, they evolved to become a much more involved exploration of color, formalism and design. This series began in 2009 and continues today.

An earlier series of 6 inch square gouache paintings depicting neon signs. These were intended to be looser studies inspired by my larger pieces.

I love depicting form, light, and color in my work and discovered in sculptural neon signs an excuse to explore these themes. Additionally, I found the subject matter condusive to many possible compositional iterations. Imbued with their own practical, commercial purpose, these signs can be endlessly manipulated into new ways of interpretation, as words are cropped and transformed in unexpected ways.

I have often sought to keep these paintings autobiographical; many of the signs depicted are direct references to cities and towns in which I've lived or have otherwise great affection for. I am careful to strip away any overt nostalgia, however, by emphasizing the formal aspects of these subjects over any particular place and time.

These gouache sketches were painted during a residency at Soaring Gardens in Laceyville, PA the summer of 2019.

Selected paintings of the enigmatic city of Los Angeles. Canaletto and Jan van Eyck have been two of my favorite painters for a very long time, and they inspired these landscapes.

This series of miniature paintings began as simple demonstrations of color and atmospheric perspective done for my students in Moleskine sketchbooks. Some are completely invented, while others are based on real places I've visited in England. The objects typically relate to an event or object from that particular day.