Artist Statement

The question of how we understand the human experience is a complex and significant force that influences my artistic practice. To interpret this, I create oil paintings that depict reality as a constitution of unique, individual affairs. Fueled by a fascination in human phenomena, I create surreal compositions of human anatomy as a visual metaphor for how the body and mind inevitably evolve in response to time, consciousness, perspective, and identity.

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This is candidly depicted in Tentative Intimacy, the first painting within a figurative series that visualizes the phases of connection. This composition depicts an earnest display of internal conflict that addresses the reluctance to be vulnerable and reveal the most suppressed parts of the psyche, divulging the inevitable discomfort in being comfortable. This psychological investigation relates to the question of what constitutes the human experience by depicting the various levels of connection that humans experience with themselves, between one another, and in response to their environment.

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Conceptually branching from connection, my artistic practice explores the process of aging and the way the body responds to time. To render my understandings, I created a pair of photo weaving paintings, in which I wove together two portrait photographs of the same subjects, taken decades apart. Where We Go is one of these paintings that addresses the physical and mental toll that aging takes on the body by presenting a jarring montage of the human face. The color optics that supplement this image create a vibration in the eye of the viewer, causing a slight visual discomfort. This physical effect reflects the idea that humans endure growing pains, both mentally and physically, as a result of the aging process.

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Further exploring optics in relation to societal concerns, I use this concept in painting to navigate the conflict between reality and our understanding of it. Psychology heavily influences my creative practice where I am interested in exploring the way the body and mind work in unison to evolve and form our perspectives and perception of reality. In a collection of intimate, figurative compositions, I document the way humans operate in the modern age in response to rapid technological advancements and media consumption. These concepts are reflected in both Funhouse and Us and Them, paintings that address the variability of human perspective as a result of digital culture and content exposure.

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While art-making has served as a primary outlet throughout my life, painting as a specific medium has encouraged me to explore profound levels of inquiry and introspection while pushing me to challenge my technical abilities. To quote contemporary master, Edward Povey, "Paintings are arguably visual in essence, but they hang in a balance between that and a blend of metaphor and intuition: meaning." This is how I define my artistic practice: a combination of my visual and conceptual interests, supplemented by my personal experiences and understandings.