Artist Statement (Abbreviated Version)

My paintings, sketches, and digital art examine emotions, the notion that both joy and pain exist together when considering life as a whole, and the concept that everyone possesses a unique, valid experience. I seek to inquire into the ways in which several emotions can exist simultaneously.

I am also driven to promote learning and personal growth. I work with a variety of populations and learn a great deal from these individuals and their perspectives. We each have an inimitable perspective that when shared, can expose others to new ways of thinking and can allow for insight into our lives. Art gives us the power to convey, which leads to knowledge and personal development.

One of my favorite projects consists of several self-portraits. Through these, I’ve attempted to convey a range of emotions–all of which relate to the love and loss I’ve experienced. The images vary in terms of line quality and abstraction. Layering and fusing sketches digitally and relating color to emotion, are elements I’ve been experimenting with in this work. My work is an examination of joyful and painful aspects of life—and more immediately, it’s an exploration of joy and love and their significance. The lens through which I experience life has been shaped in relation to my mother’s passion for life, her extreme love, and her death, which occurred when I was 12. My childhood experiences taught me to cherish joyful moments, family, and the important parts of life of which love is the significance.


Artist Statement (Extended Version)

My paintings, sketches, and digital art examine emotions, the notion that both joy and pain exist together when considering life as a whole, and the concept that each individual possesses a unique and valid experience. I seek to inquire into the ways in which joy, sadness, calm, anger, and anxiety can exist simultaneously.

I am also driven to promote learning and personal growth. I work with a variety of populations and learn a great deal from these individuals and their perspectives on the world. We each have an inimitable perspective that when shared, can expose others to a new way of thinking or can allow for new insight into our lives. Art gives us the power to convey, which leads to knowledge and personal development for both those receiving information and those expressing information. These truths fuel my inspiration as an artist and as a human.

One of my favorite projects consists of several self-portraits. Through these sketches, paintings, and digital works, I’ve attempted to convey a range of emotions–all of which relate to the love and loss I’ve experienced. When feeling emotion, I sketch—typically working from photos. The images vary in terms of line quality and abstraction. When dealing with emotions that I perceive as feeling heavy—such as anxiety– lines appear thicker and create rigid shapes. My intention is to demonstrate that life consists of moments that are unpleasant and at times, we tend to avoid acknowledging these experiences–especially when related to loss and death. Layering and fusing sketches digitally and relating color to emotion, are also elements I’ve been experimenting with in this work. I’ve associated colors with shorter wavelengths—which can be more challenging for the human eye to see—with emotions that are difficult to feel, and colors with longer wavelengths—typically easier to see—with pleasant emotions. Other aspects of this work include contemplation around the fact that when all colors exist together as light, white is created, and the act of intuitively adding color to portraits. My desire is to express my emotions and to acknowledge that joyful and painful emotions are real, significant aspects of life. I also strive to inquire into the notion that the thorny elements of life may not discount the joyous. The agonizing moments may even enhance the pleasurable because they help us to understand pain. After experiencing loss, joy may be felt more deeply—we appreciate the beautiful parts of life on a new level.

My work is an examination of both joyful and painful aspects of life—and more immediately, it is an exploration of joy and love and their significance. The lens through which I see and experience life has been shaped significantly in relation to my mother’s passion for life, her extreme love, and her death, which occurred when I was 12. My childhood experiences taught me to cherish joyful moments, family, and the truly important parts of life of which love is the significance.