I think of my paintings as stories. Histories. They are loose narratives that combine diverse art-historical references through the use of appropriated imagery and style. The characters and images form complex networks of ideas designed to reveal real and invented connections within the history of painting. These are the stories of individual artists, critics, theorists and groups thereof that moved either with or against the prevailing currents of the history of painting. I’m interested in how these individuals, their artistic goals, the ideas they represent, and the ways they are perceived today relate to others either in or outside of their respective time periods. The scenarios of my most recent paintings revolve around a few recurring themes, such as the artist as hero-figure, the tragedy of failed ideals and questions of gender and sexual politics.