“After the healing process of receiving a new tattoo, the ink sits just beneath the surface of the skin. I always found that so fascinating because that means your tattoos truly become a part of you. A discovery I have made over my years of talking to others and getting tattoos myself is that every tattoo has a story, no matter how meaningful it may be. If you look. closely, I believe you are able to see fragments of these stories in the tattoos of others.My thesis work features portraits of various individuals from a unique perspective; rather than painting their faces, I use oil paint to depict their tattoos. This invites the viewer to take a closer look at one of the most personal attributes of a person and urges them to question the identity of the individuals involved without being distracted by any facial features. Exploring the intimacy of having a permanent marking on your body, my paintings make a comment on the freedom of self-expression and entice the viewer to think of the positive impact these tattoos have had on the subjects involved. Through the course of creating these works, the clothing of the individuals became impossible to ignore. Although not my original intention, one’s own personal style is a major contributing factor to the way they chose to express themselves and it played an essential role in showcasing the identity of my subjects. My work challenges what is regarded as the norm for portraiture and my hope is that people will spend extra time appreciating some of the more intimate aspects of these individuals that is not usually on display.”