The Return

By Joe Sikora

My paintings are a study of the clothed human figure in interior environments. Painterly and realist in manner, I am exploring formal elements of painting in relationship to the solitary figure in intimate settings. Rooted in drawing friends and acquaintances, my oil paintings strive for the refinement of the great masters with a contemporary eye.

The subtle complexity of the female form and the sensual nature of flesh veiled in contemporary attire inspires much of my work. An earthy color palette emphasizes a deeply instinctual passion fomenting within the paintings, such as beauty, seduction, and desire. The lyrical quality of the model’s pose, accentuated by his or her relationship to the surrounding space, gives these paintings a poetic effect. Through the artist’s lens, the glory of the model in the stillness of the moment is captured gracefully forever.