When Mill Valley painter Jeff Neugebauer left the multimedia business world, he set up shop in a home studio and began a painting frenzy. For the last two years, he has painted fulltime, taking up to three months to complete just one of his complex, layered and skillful works.

Drawing on art historical sources and techniques, he creates paintings rich in color and thoughtful, allegorical subject matter. And in a new group exhibition at the Redwood Foyer, Neugebauer shows six of his philosophical, narrative-based oil paintings.

Here, he talks about why he prefers to paint the hard way, the difference between artmaking in the Renaissance and now and the utter importance of story in his work.

Q: In your work, you use a classical approach to drawing and painting, one that echoes some of the great masters in art history, such as Rembrandt or Dxrer. Why does this realistic, finely rendered style appeal to you?

A: I like it because it's so hard, so challenging. It takes years of training and painting to learn it. And it comes from a history of painters trying to evolve beauty and aesthetics to a higher place. All the way back to Greek and Roman times, then into the Renaissance, this style was perfected. The more I try to do it, the more I truly appreciate the old masters.

Q: This technique sounds antiquated and difficult. How is it different from simply applying paint to canvas?

A: The technique that I use is called the Florentine Method. It's the way that da Vinci and Raphael painted. I start with a green verdacchio, or green-grey pigment, and paint a monochromatic composition with values going from light to middle to dark. It's almost like a black-and-white painting. Then I paint the flesh tones over this. It's true to the original style, which was developed because it was the best way to render skin tones. Verdacchio has a transparency, and that first green layer is an excellent foundation for subsequent layers.

Q: What fresh or contemporary perspective do you bring to this style of painting?

A: I see myself as taking the great tradition of painting and combining it with innovative, modern ideas. Most of the Renaissance masters were paid by the church and they painted what the church wanted them to paint. Stylistically, there are things that I can do that they couldn't. I'm also starting to experiment with colors that wouldn't be used by masters. I have the great advantage of using modern tools and technology - like photos and my computer - to try out different things before I commit to painting them.

Q: Much of today's art relies on emotion or mood, whereas your work is heavily allegorical - it has a specific story or moral. Can you talk about that?

A: I want my paintings to be provocative, to give viewers something worth thinking about, something to ponder. Some of my work deals with innocence lost, or questioning dogma in religion. To me, the concept behind the picture is very important. Instead of being worth a thousand words, I hope my paintings are worth 10,000 words.

IF YOU GO

What: "Diverse Expressions = One Powerful Impression," a group exhibition featuring art by Jeff Neugebauer, Robert Biancalana, Tim Dixon, Steven Kovach, Hwei-Li Tsao and Martin Velasquez

When: Through Jan. 13

Where: The Redwood Foyer, Marin Veterans Auditorium at Marin Center, San Rafael

Hours: During presentations and performances

Information: www.jeffneugebauer.com