Overview

Overview

I recently completed a residency at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT. I was living among 50 plus artists and writers from around the world. It is the largest international residency program in the United States. While my original intention was to isolate myself and complete as many paintings as possible, I ended up taking advantage of the resource of artists and spent much of my time conducting video interviews.

Initially intended to provide specific background information on individual artists, the video interviews became a sociological study of the idea of fame as it pertains to the arts. As I proceeded through my interviews, the answers to my question, "do you want to be famous?" greatly influenced the track of answers to the rest of my line of questioning. Almost consistently through the 30+ interviews that I performed, those who answered "yes," they did want to be famous, answered the rest of the questions in a similar way. Likewise, those who were hesitant to speak about fame and maintained that they created art simply to express themselves, answered questions in a similar way to the rest of their group.

The idea of fame greatly connects with my website and the use of social media in my work. Since 2008 I have been running the site www.fitzbomb.com to showcase my paintings as well as my life and those of the people I paint. It's a way for the outside world to voyeuristically experience more about my subjects than just their painted images. Documenting my subjects and myself in these multiple ways creates a sense of importance and internet fame.

One of the most important facets of my work is the social interaction that I have with people through the process of meeting them, photographing them, and painting them. I encourage my subjects to share their finished portraits through social media which almost always leads to my meeting of people in their social circles, and therefore, new subjects. By beginning with a group of people from all over the world, I hope to expand this visual network of people far beyond the reaches of my home base, Baltimore City.

Overview

Fitzbomb.com is an award winning blog which began publication in spring of 2008 as a way to showcase my work. Shortly after its inception, I started to question, "what do people want to see?" "What content is relatable to my work, but adds interest to the paintings themselves?" My immediate answer was that people want to see themselves as well as candid views of the lives of others.

One has only to consider the popularity of "reality" television, or the countless hours spent perusing others' photographs on sites like Facebook, to realize that today's technology provides a new way to fulfill our desire to people watch. While one can still enjoy the activity on subways, in malls, on busses, etc, now one has access to peer into people's lives through the privacy of a computer screen. And the thing is, those people who are being observed, they want to be observed. They have no privacy blockers on their countless online photo albums, they post links to their flickr pages, and blogs of their thoughts.

Fitzbomb.com is a way for viewers to "people watch" myself and the subjects of my paintings in the outside world. The viewer not only has access to view the finished oil painting of my subject, but she may view that subject at a party, art opening or while providing an interview in a personal setting.

Since the people watching aspect was added to Fitzbomb in October of 2008, the site has received nearly 30,000 visits from 119 countries. I have been invited to countless events (openings, music performances, parties, red carpets, theater productions) and asked to bring my camera. The process has become cyclical, as now, I don't just photograph people I paint, but I often meet new portrait subjects through photographing them for Fitzbomb.

Overview

I started this project in late summer of 2008 by painting a collection of 20 of my friends. Since then, the project has grown to include over 100 Baltimoreans including artists, musicians, business owners, professors, and my peers. Baltimore Portrait is a form of visual networking. Now, instead of painting people I know already, I often use my project to meet new subjects. I have a never-ending resource of subject matter living, working, and contributing to the community of Baltimore City.

Overview

While each piece in this series resembles it's subject, I am interested in exploring the appeal of the anonymous "beautiful girl." Does it really matter who the subject of a portrait is?

In other paintings I am very interested in capturing a specific person's aura, what he is "like" beyond his physical appearance. In contrast, these subjects are posed, dressed up, or modified through use of paint to question the notion of a subject's universal appeal, the specific portrait versus the universal.

These paintings provided a turning point in my process as these explorations worked to grow my skills as a painter. Pushing use of paint, brushstroke, and my editorial eye for shape and color has developed a recognizable, or signature style about my paintings.

Overview

People-watching is a pastime in which every seeing human being has participated. We are drawn to look at others because they are attractive, or grossly unattractive. They have unusual style, features, or an air that we are envious of. We look at people to see what we would like to look like and what we are glad we do not. We look at people to see if we recognize them or can put them into context.

Viewing a wall full of my portraits gives the viewer this experience. The pieces are realistic and near life-size. The subjects of the pieces are well known individuals around town. Even if you donâ??t know them personally, one of them may have served you a drink or been in a band that youâ??ve seen. The personalities of the subjects have been captured through snarls, smiles, hats and gold teeth. Unlike a traditional, formally posed portrait, my paintings capture the grit and the beauty that is human, the essence that draws us in.

Overview

Overview

Overview

I completed 20 new drawings for this solo exhibit at University of Baltimore. I reached out to students, faculty, and staff to participate as subjects in this project. I didn't know anyone involved with the school previous to this experience, but was able to meet and involve many, from students to professors, deans, and the provost.

By using subjects (over 50%) related to the space where the exhibit was to hang, I was able to involve and become a part of a pre-exsisting community. This group of people which mostly resides outside of the art world gained interest in my project and added diversity to the span of "Baltimore Portrait."