I find inspiration in death. More specifically: in bearing witness to my mother’s death and how that effects my opinions on life. I use creation of art as a method of processing emotions and experiences, the results of which I find serene and comforting. My art is not only a tool to navigate and control the turbulence of grief, but a safe place I retreat to when in need of refuge.
Primarily, my subjects are women and often my subjects are pseudo self-portraits; bearing slight resemblances to me, but no great similarities. People relate best to familiar things and in creating paintings vaguely resembling myself I am able to traverse new territories and emotions through the familiarity of self.
As I become more comfortable examining and sharing unpleasant emotions my art has grown more expressive. To this end I have found ink a valuable tool. Given my taste for watercolor; ink is familiar enough to not intimidate me, but new enough to excite and inspire me. I am fascinated by the way it stains, runs, drips and grows when layered.
Discovering new surfaces upon which to create is just as exhilarating to me as exploring media: I love the thirst thick papers have, the solid, forgiving nature of wood panels, and the translucency of acrylic.
