Behind Closed Doors: New Images of Manhood

In Spring 2010, I received my BFA from the University of Central Florida and graduated with Honors in the Major. This entailed completing a thesis and successfully defending it in front of faculty. The "Manhood" series was created during my final three semesters, and the thesis documents a body of paintings based on self-portraiture, personal experiences, and a greater conversation about men, fathers, and artists. This is not a traditional research thesis, filled with citations and data. It is a narrative about what is behind these paintings, and the research is the process that spawned them. As I create new paintings and the earlier work gets further behind me, I will often revisit this thesis for inspiration and to remind myself why I started the series in the first place. My artist statement does a marvelous job of giving just enough information about the series, without overly explaining it. However, I have always felt compelled to share the thesis with those interested in the details.