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 know I've created a successful painting when these odd little artifacts of consumer society stare back with their own unique personalities and inner lives, boldly confronting you with the absurdity of their own existence.