About the Book
In “Modern Mythologies” I transform everyday people into characters of romantic and fantastical works to create contemporary mythology. I collaborate with models from virtually all walks of life – from doctors to sex workers, actors, and other artists. Through extensive post-production, I place them into settings of epic proportion. Most of my subjects are seen through an objectifying gaze, others as archetypes, some being hyper-masculine, others being characters in novels or plays, allowing them to be vulnerable and show emotions. I also like to explore gender and body types and on occasion the idea of alien and cross-species integration into the human form.

To create the elaborate backgrounds I combine fragments of paintings with the photographs of the models. This blending of elements creates an otherworldly effect and makes the models often appear godlike. Each image has an indeterminate narrative quality, which allows viewers to emotionally connect to the work and give it its final shape.

The work exists between painting and photography, influenced equally by artists in both disciplines. Renaissance painters such as Jan van Eyck, Michelangelo, and Titian inspire the compositions and narrative. The final results are reminiscent of Baroque painters such as Schönfeld-Opferszene, Caravaggio, and Tiepolo. Not limited to this time period or genre, I am also inspired by literature and folklore, by the romanticism of photographers like Edward Steichen, Margaret Cameron, and by the hyper-sexual intent of photos by Robert Mapplethorpe.

The Mythologies series, as objects straddle these mediums as some key compositions are rendered on canvas or panels. I use the technique of encaustic layering the surface with wax, resin, and pigment. These processes heighten the depth of the images by building up the surface. And just as with an original painting, each work in this series is unique.