My personal collection of pencil sharpeners and other toys are the inspiration for the series of paintings on which I'm currently at work. Using traditional realistic technique to paint "portraits" of these playful and always cooperative subjects, I enjoy the opportunity to create beautiful works of art combining serious craftsmanship with amusing irony. By treating inexpensive toys with an exaggerated reverence, the paintings themselves become the precious objects worthy of the reverence given to the original subjects.

I had been collecting toy pencils sharpeners for many years before first creating a painting of one in 2003. I started out collecting them as souvenirs, but my interest eventually expanded to toy sharpeners of all kinds and I now have over 260 in my collection. The idea of painting my favorites developed slowly over time as various influences helped me formulate a suitable approach. Pleased with the success of those efforts and having discovered an almost endless supply of potential subjects from on-line auctions, I have now created a body of work based on the handling of those original paintings.

I like to think of the paintings as portraits, each one drawing on the unique personality of the subject to show it in the most flattering manner. There are three goals common to each work in the series: to create a beautiful composition, to attain a high degree of realism, and to give the sharpeners life and personality. The portrait is a success when these odd artifacts of modern consumer culture gaze back at the real world, boldly confronting the viewer with the absurdity of their own existence.

My working method combines traditional techniques with modern tools and materials. The planning phase takes place largely on the computer, where scanned drawings and digital photographs provide the basis for experimenting with various layouts and color combinations. When ready to start painting, the drawing is transferred to the chosen support (panel or stretched canvas) and work begins on the background and grisaille (monochrome painting of the subject). This is followed by many layers of transparent oil glazes which gradually build up the color to the desired level of intensity and finish. When completed, the traditional glazing technique gives the work a wonderful inner glow and depth of color.

Significant influences on this series of work include Johannes Vermeer, still life paintings by Camille Pissarro, botanical illustrations, and the Index of American Design.