I am interested in the juxtaposition between the classical portrait and the anonymity that exists in an urban environment, and finding common ground between the two. In the walking portraits, I examine movement and anonymity as it relates to an urban environment. Digital video stills from footage shot in Toronto communities were used as the primary source for these paintings. A series of sequential images was created using the same 4:3 aspect ratio as the original film. Specific details from the source were often obliterated by cropping the figures and in some cases abstracted completely into blurred shapes. The resultant paintings are a reflection of the thousands of mental snapshots we take subconsciously every day.

Isolation is a common theme - even the figures in group situations are marked by solitude and seem less together than apart. A three-year stay in a small town in Asia accentuated the perception of isolation and reinforced this theme, and increased the sense of simplicity and design I strive for in my work.