STATEMENT

Finding meaning in my lifetime of experience, both monumental and mundane, I am focused on the sweetness, silliness, and at times horrific elements of growing up. It’s quite nice to remember what feels warm and simple; however, there is a visceral memory associated with the stories that I deem worthy of retelling–where the darkness of adulthood creeps in. An unwelcome guest, it entangled itself with the purity of my childhood. The horror, the sweetness, and the silliness unite, creating the perfect recipe for a mildly off-putting story.  

I spend quite a bit of my time reminiscing with family members, while simultaneously creating new memories. My family is my archive and my inheritance. It is such an interesting thing to have people in your life that you create the best and worst memories with. Every story is layered and every memory is fragmented. What I choose to retell does not flow from birth until present, instead, I escape the linear fashion of narrative by responding to memories and focusing on the core moments that have had lasting impact. I am constantly challenged with exploring the dichotomies between the sweet and the outrageous, the familiar and the chaotic, and humorous and cynical natures. I respond to the echoes of the past and a complicated family history with humor–sparking uncertainty. Should you laugh, or should you ask me if I am ok?  I find the humor liberating and the horror romantic, all while flirting with the surreal. I am highlighting the disturbance in the ordinary, personifying objects to reveal emotion, and creating fantastical imagery that tap into the tension of both humorous and horrific–all while using painting as a tool for allusion of time, place, person, situation, or memory.