For many years I've pondered the idea of painting my pencil sharpeners and other tacky figures in a larger format. I knew I'd have to change my technique to do so because I had no desire to recreate the highly polished surfaces and photorealistic appearances of my smaller paintings. In my work on Flowers and Figurines, however, I recognized that the technique I'd developed for that series would be an excellent starting point for doing larger paintings. Two proof of concept works were successful and have led me to begin revisiting my Snapshots and Sharpeners series in a larger format.

A painting previously done as 8 inches square is now done as 20, which creates a surface area over 6 times as large, and the figure usually occupies a larger portion of that area. The smaller paintings would draw the viewer in for an intimate viewing experience with their fine detail and gem-like inner glow. These new paintings aggressively confront the viewer with their larger scale and looser brushwork. Compared to the smaller versions, I feel that these are less personal but more powerful. Whether this creates a more compelling artwork is largely a matter of individual preference, but I hope to be able to add the power of scale while still realizing the goals of the original series.