Emotional Realism

is my natural genre.  My feelings are so strong that they become the focal point of my art as much as color or form.  I follow my instincts as I paint, as well,  and between the two (feeling and intuition), I capture the soul of my subject.  For me, painting is a process of allowing and faith.  An eye, a bushel of whiskers, or a color can ignite inspiration, but once I  begin a painting, I let my instincts and emotions about the subject determine what happens, which is why I  call my medium emotional realism.  Our feelings constantly change.  Even the common emotion of joy has many gradations as it resonates off other feelings, and thus my feelings toward the subject I am painting always leads to an original piece of art. 

My art is also informed by a deeply held musicality that can be traced back to my ancestor, Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, who studied under the infamous band master, John Philip Sousa.