Artist Statement
Nature has long been recognized as a place of escape, yet humanity’s relationship with nature is becoming more and more strained. Studies show how healing time in nature can be, and yet as the number of people struggling with mental health increases, our natural world shrinks. As we neglect it, we lose sight of why it is so important. Aspects of nature are seen by people as things to be avoided, rather than understood. Decay and rot are grimaced at, bugs are feared.
Much of my work seeks to bring the viewer back to nature. Working together, my paintings and ceramics ask the viewer to confront their relationship with nature through my eyes. In the trees, I seek out specific natural formations that look and feel anthropomorphic. These trees are scarred with gaping knots and peeling bark; half-rotting limbs and odd twists in roots or branches; aspects which cause them to become more than trees. With these aspects, though they no longer bear leaves, they continue to have a sort of life to them.
When painting, I use partially abstracted form paired with naturalistic texture and detail to recreate these details. I emphasize these qualities through choice of color and exaggerated contrast, however each painting is based on a real tree, and I make no changes to the form itself.
Conversely, for my ceramic work, though I research what I am making, each piece is created organically and is not based on any specific scene. With these sculptural pieces I want to show the beauty that exists in the parts of nature that are often taken for granted. Fungi, moss, rot, and composting bugs all make up the complex landscape of a dying tree. These life forms are absolutely vital to the eco-system, yet bear the reputation of being distasteful or foul. My sculptures elevate these aspects, hoping to change this view, and cultivate a childlike curiosity for the natural world.
Much of my work seeks to bring the viewer back to nature. Working together, my paintings and ceramics ask the viewer to confront their relationship with nature through my eyes. In the trees, I seek out specific natural formations that look and feel anthropomorphic. These trees are scarred with gaping knots and peeling bark; half-rotting limbs and odd twists in roots or branches; aspects which cause them to become more than trees. With these aspects, though they no longer bear leaves, they continue to have a sort of life to them.
When painting, I use partially abstracted form paired with naturalistic texture and detail to recreate these details. I emphasize these qualities through choice of color and exaggerated contrast, however each painting is based on a real tree, and I make no changes to the form itself.
Conversely, for my ceramic work, though I research what I am making, each piece is created organically and is not based on any specific scene. With these sculptural pieces I want to show the beauty that exists in the parts of nature that are often taken for granted. Fungi, moss, rot, and composting bugs all make up the complex landscape of a dying tree. These life forms are absolutely vital to the eco-system, yet bear the reputation of being distasteful or foul. My sculptures elevate these aspects, hoping to change this view, and cultivate a childlike curiosity for the natural world.
Vitruvian Woman Statement
Vitruvian Woman references daVinci’s drawing, Vitruvian Man. This iconic drawing depicts a man’s ideal proportions within the geometric boundaries of a circle and a square. In the same way, Vitruvian Woman depicts the parts of a woman that society cares for most, bound within a circle that mirrors daVinci’s drawing. Female reproductive organs are shown in a pen-and-ink style diagram. Incomplete latin labels, along with an aged appearance, represent the outdated nature of society’s values. However, gender and femininity are social constructs, and what is outside the circle seeks to highlight those who society forgets to include. Non-transitioned transgendered women and cisgendered women who do not fit society’s standards for womanhood are celebrated in the face and body shown. Contrasting the simplicity of the sketch within the circle, the Woman herself is depicted in full color. She sits, legs spread and chest gaping open. With her heart on display—notably outside the circle—she is vulnerable and laid bare to the viewer. While her face is serene, her arms protectively cross over her torso, transitioning to skeletal hands once they cross the boundaries of the circle. This visible skeleton represents the women of the past and present as one, ancestral sentinels guarding those within the circle. Surrounding the circle is a pink outline with organic elements blossoming from it, showing the beauty of finding identity outside of the confines of narrow definitions and gender-roles.
What's Underneath Statement
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"What's Underneath" is a functional, yet sculptural, ceramic bowl. When set right side up, the inside of the bowl is very simple; it appears to be a minimally decorated shallow bowl. However, when turned over, much like a log in the forest, the true life of the piece is revealed. With stumps for feet, snaking roots, moss, leaves, twigs, mushrooms, and various bug life, "What's Underneath" seeks to call attention to the simple beauty of things often overlooked. Seldom are the bottoms of objects like cups and bowls noticed, and in the same way the vast and intricate ecosystem of the forest floor will typically be passed over without a glance. Only those who take their time–cultivating their curiosity, turning over the rocks and logs in the woods–are rewarded by the spectacle of "What's Underneath".
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Mein Kampf Statement
In 2017, Trump said "No politician in history — and I say this with great surety — has been treated worse or more unfairly".
Mein Kampf seeks to draw attention to the irony of Donald Trumps evidently lavish and luxurious lifestyle while complaining of his "unfair" treatment and personal struggle. While Trump cries from his golden throne, many are actually suffering from policies that are waging war on human rights and human life.
The work also calls the viewer to reflect on obvious comparisons between the policies and actions of Trump and Hitler, who wrote his autobiography of the same name during his brief incarceration after trying to overthrow the German government prior to his rise to power.
