My current work takes from the past. I use photographs of people from a bygone era I have no connection with. But unlike earlier subjects – my ancestors – their legacy is far from clear. These people remain a mystery, leading me to piece together the mosaic of their lives. The end result is at best a distortion of who they were. Although I continue to wonder about their personal experiences, I know it's a malformed reality. In this new series, I explore what happens when the legacy remains unknown.

I paint on wood panels. I allow the grain of each panel to dictate the figure's form, letting the image gradually emerge from within the wood. I hope to reveal the story of each person through this "paint as stain" technique combining the life of the wood with that of the person portrayed in it.