30 Days: Exploring the Shifting Landscape of the Mind
The combination of colors and shapes in these gradient backgrounds give me inspiration and create an opportunity for deep thoughtful reflection. Each day, I chose one background on which I created a visual narrative. Be it drawing, painting, or writing, I use the gradient backgrounds to translate my thoughts and feelings to allow you to explore my internal world. Each piece will be a visual diary, its unique and evocative images working to entice you into exploring the inner workings of my mind. In the end, these thirty paintings come together as a single piece made across different states of mind. A collection of many present me's that each thought of something new to show the world.
Vulnerability is my goal. I aim to be open and honest in showing you the ever-shifting landscape of the mind. By allowing myself to explore the complex and fickle condition of the mind from day-to-day, I aim to learn to be kind to myself, to face head on the difficulties and fears that might hold me back, and to learn that we must value every single day, for the present is all we have. In experiencing these paintings, I hope you can experience the same.
Painted life
This series of artworks captures the world around us into larger than life settings. Primarily focused on insects and small creatures, I aim to put under the spotlight the living beings that traditionally are feared and ignored.
Drawn to Life
Like most, I started my journey through art with drawing. I doodled in my notebooks, drew little butterflies and "S"s and slowly built up my skills to draw things my sketching, tracing, and eventually drawing from reference and imagination. As I studied art, more and more I found that drawing was a way to begin something, but for the longest time, I didn't value it anymore. I realize now that this pure art-form is necessary to make things happen in art and create something with just a pencil in hand.
I Will Not Fear
I Will Not Fear is a series of paintings about fear. Fear of everything to come and fear of the nothingness that follows. Fear, that which resides in every person until we’re gone and all that is left behind are the impressions we left upon the world. We fear what those impressions might be, and we fear that we cannot change them. My world was built upon fear of what’s to come. Who I am is influenced by fear and the whole mess of feelings that go along with it. So why reject it? If fear is always going to be around me, then the best thing to do is to accept it. Feel it. Laugh at it! Let fear push me to do the things I only dream of doing. I make colorful and playful paintings that represent dark feelings of anxiety, fear and depression that I’ve struggled with for as long as I remember. Brightly colored and highly technical, my paintings entice you to keep looking, making sure you do not stray away from these difficult topics. By using mixed media in conjunction with oil paint, I inject the work with humor and reflections on tragedy and fear. In addition to oil paint, I use pins, balloons, flags, tape, zippers, medical gauze, glass, belts and bubble gum to make what appear to be paintings that respect the tradition of a rectangle on the wall. In the end, the very act of creating these artworks makes me laugh and reconsider my relationships to the fearful subjects that plagued me while welcoming you to view them and laugh along with me.
Shifting Perspectives
Creating beautiful, brightly colored gradients is meditative for me and when paired in conjuction with LED lighting creates a meditative experience for my audience. Even in the static images, the colors seem to move before your very eyes.