Through hyperrealistic portraiture, I explore human emotion, personality, and story telling in my oil paintings. The painting process begins with photography. Bringing a friend I know well, we traverse through whichever city we might be in and enjoy the time together taking photographs in a myriad of locations. The shoot is rough, raw, and dives into who the model is underneath the daily facade that covers their true essence. I choose the best photograph and the painting process begins. I capture the details within the image and layer them onto the canvas, manipulating and controlling aspects of the image I deem necessary to the portrait or which accentuates the emotion on the model. Other times I will find an image online that I just have to paint. No matter if they are movie stills or album covers, finding the intricate details within a face is an immense joy. Whether It be the melancholy of modern life, the raw ecstasy of love, or the playful joy of a night gone on too long, I move to express these stories through my portraits.