There is a wide variety of subject matter in this series which is indicative of my many divergent interests at the time. It wasn't until the end of this period that I managed to focus on subject matter compelling enough to explore at length in the form of a series of portraits of my friend Tom Valacenti.

At this time I was also beginning to delve into the religious imagery I had always been drawn to but lacked the proficiency to explore properly. Faced with the imposing task of bringing the two divergent themes, (Tom and God), into one work, I decided to focus on the contrast itself and break up the picture plain into two seperate areas. As a result, the paintings became multi-layered compositions in which sacred and secular coexist and interact.