In the swirling formats of my paintings I seek to represent the way our memories and expectations swirl together to create our own individual realities, which are further shaped by our hearts and minds.  I often include figures in my paintings to explore the power of a human presence.  The viewer has an instant emotional reaction to the figure, and I am interested in capturing the interaction between the subject and the viewer by describing the changes in the space surrounding them, which reflects the tension between them.  The interplay of the swirling background with the realism of the figure explains the mood of the painting and unites the figure with the background so that they become one.