As a realist painter I deal in contradiction. I produce images that ostensibly portray an objective view of reality but, in truth, of course, this is an illusion; a trick played in pigment and oil on a flat surface. The scenes depicted are completely synthetic, with details drawn from multiple sources and vantage points, rather than a single real place. These disparate elements are, hopefully, woven together in a fashion convincing enough to enable the viewer to suspend their disbelief. In this way a painting can become more than mere reportage- it can allude to something larger and become greater than just the sum of its parts.