Oysters, 2004, oil on canvas

Each painting zeros in on a point of contact: two hands touch; fingertips pull an ear, where flesh is engaged with flesh. The images explore the physical and emotional intimacy of human relationships. Actions depicted can appear both sensuous and painful. Luscious color combines with a wet and visceral handling of paint. Paint becomes the medium for touch. Here color and the viscous goo blend one body into the next, blurring the boundary between the toucher and touched. The paintings embrace the tension and tenderness that comprise the complicated relationships between persons and between one’s self and ones own body.

In the series, titled Schadenfreude, hands squeeze and pull what is ambiguously recognizable as a jelly doughnut. The title comes from the German word (Schaden, damage + Freude, joy), meaning pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. The doughnut is, among other things, a metaphor for the body. Hands poke and prod, rip open, or lovingly caress this disemboweled, red, jelly-filled bun. The images draw from the violently exaggerated gestures of baroque figuration, as well as from the jewel-toned, edible abundance of 15th and 16th century Dutch still life paintings.