This work is inspired by the Byzantine period- from 5th century manuscript illumination to Gothic sculpture of the 12th century. But I also look for the light of the Middle Ages reflected in art from succeeding centuries. The most faithful and enduring example of this is the iconography of the Eastern Churches. I also look to more anomalous points of intersection. For example, El Greco stands out as unique in the 17th century, with his roots in the Byzantine art of his native Greece grafted onto the Spanish Renaissance. Through the media of carved wood and oil paint, I strive to participate in this kind of hybridization in my own time and place.

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These pieces are more sculpture than painting. But in relation to medieval sculpture, painting is not an innovation. The passage of time has removed the once bright pigmentation of ancient sculpture, which we now associate with the monochromatic texture of the sculpted material (wood or stone). Originally, the jamb figures on the exterior of a Gothic cathedral were as colourful as the stained glass within. But I also follow the modern idea of truth-to-materials, and try not to veil the nature of the wood I work with.

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Medieval art was one facet of an all-encompassing, integrated cosmology. Therefore I also look to medieval wisdom in general for inspiration. This involves the now countercultural acceptance of objective Truth governed by the Logos.

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See also: Inspirations page