Elemental Portraits Series
Elemental Portraits is a growing series of paintings linking portraiture with the theme of the elements: earth, air, fire, water and aether.
In this series I depict people from my life in Turkey and family and friends from my home in the United States. Based on personal interactions, memories and other research, I choose a specific element or elements to represent each individual.
As a form of indirect collaboration, I paint directly onto found objects; including wallpaper, an antique oil painting, printed paper, and marbled paper. Working on top of a printed image, design, or pre-painted surfaces, allows my artistic approach to remain a stimulating process, as the original design forms its own interaction with the painted subject, and often inspires the work itself. While painting, I continue to incorporate symbolism and designs, depicting the shifting and often obscure nature of each personality.
Elemental Portraits has grown out of my love for observational drawing, portraiture and collaboration. This body of work explores and continues to explore personal identity, its fluidity, and how environment affects personality. The works create a conversation between individuals and our surrounding world, how others can be viewed in context to their environment, and just what one might consider an individual's environment to be.