My work prior to 1999 consisted of large narrative paintings and drawings of figures in ambiguous situations and relationships. Some were based on religious myths and images, inspired by Baroque painting, specifically the works of Caravaggio and his dramatic use of light and shadow as well as the mix of sacred and secular and the tensions evoked. Other pieces evoked the rituals involved in domestic activities or an enigmatic pairing of figures, or a figure and location. The large, often “life sized” scale of these pieces allowed me to involve the viewer in a voyeuristic sense of participation or observation as well as devote a great amount of detail to describing nuances of gesture and momentary but stilled expression.