The Work Party: Duck with 3 Ball Print

For these recent paintings, I like the juxtaposition of playful objects — primarily balloons, billiard and/or croquet balls, and antique toys collected over the years — against utilitarian objects such as machines and hand tools. I will frequently include sharp objects such as blades or broken glass, and the entire composition will typically be lit using one or more colored lights, throwing intense, high-chroma color against deep shadows. I try to find a balance between achieving a 'realistic' rendering and allowing the physicality of the paint - and the 'process' of painting — to remain visible. The machine on which the duck is sitting in this painting is a 100-year-old lathe that my father - and his father before him - had used to fabricate parts for turbines during World War II.