Undertaken between 2001 and 2012, Spittin' Image: The Biological Father is a long-term inquiry into the nature of genetic relationships. As an adopted person, my life was disconnected from my family of origin at birth. These paintings were a way of exploring the nature of the biological gesture, while trying to imagine a ghost life (precluded by my adoption). They also serve as a mediation into a cultural that sees blood as being thicker than water. What, in fact, is one to do if one only has water?

These six images are selected from over 50 paintings developed through the life of the series.