I take a minimalistic approach to trompe l’oeil painting, creating frameless paintings that seem void of depth. The paintings resemble common flat surfaces, ranging from wooden planks to street signs. The illusionistic surface allows for the painting to be viewed as a sculpture, which encourages the viewer to consider the work as a found object or ready-made, raising questions of authorship.

The craft of representational painting can never perfectly depict light falling on a three-dimensional object, considering that the mixture of oil and pigment cannot emulate actual light. But our perceptions of reality can be distorted and shifted, and we may believe we immediately recognize a familiar object. If perception can be shaped and molded, then the difference between an actual object and a painting that is perceived to be an actual object is questionable. This questioning fuels my fascination with illusion and motivates my unyielding dedication to the craft of oil painting.