What drew you to painting everyday tools and objects as “portraits”? Why focus on them specifically? 

Tools are often the unsung heroes of whatever it is we’re trying to accomplish. They’re the facilitators – the means by which action actually happens. You’re not just building or repairing something; you’re hammering, cutting, shaping. Without tools, change isn’t possible. 

The tools in this body of work generally fall into three categories: a trinity of cleaning, repair, and creation. Each represents a different kind of action, but all are tied to the same idea of making change in the physical world. 

I focused on tools because they’re familiar and accessible. Most people have taken on a project, used a tool, and felt that sense of completion, even if they didn’t fully consider the role the tool played in making it possible. 

Many of your paintings show tools with visible wear, texture, and history. What does that imperfection or “used” quality represent to you? 

These are all tools I’ve personally used on various projects. The visible wear and use are physical markers of what they’ve helped me accomplish. Each scratch, dent, or worn surface reflects work that’s been done and changes that have been made. 

I can look at that wear and think back on the projects I’ve completed and the improvements I’ve made along the way. The “used” quality isn’t a flaw, it’s a record of experience. 

Is there one piece in the exhibition that you are especially attached to? What story or feeling is behind it? 

There are actually two pieces I feel especially connected to, and both are tied to memories of my father, who passed away about a decade ago. 

The screwdriver in Yellow Phillips was my dad’s. I remember the translucent handle from when I was growing up. It was kept in a drawer in the kitchen, and I’d fetch it for him when he needed it. As a kid, I remember thinking there was something powerful about that tool. My dad understood its purpose, even if I didn’t yet. 

Marlboro Knife also has a personal history. It was a gift from my dad when I was around 10, for a camping trip with the Boy Scouts. I lost the original in my mid-30s at a gas station on the way to a junkyard with my brother, after our dad had already passed. I later replaced it with a mint-condition version from eBay, and I’ve used that one daily since. The wear on it now is entirely my own. I like to think the original knife found its way to someone else who is still putting it to use.