Current Statement

 

Humans remember the past as better than it was. A form of self-preservation. A comfort. An incentive to continue living. I am inspired by obvious totems and designs from the 1960s, 70s and onward, such as the disco ball, floral patterns, and neon lights. Nostalgia and escapism have begun to emerge as conceptual underpinnings in my work as the healing vehicles for trauma. Both are practices which can make one feel a sense of temporary safety in a world of disarray and darkness. 

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My pieces have become totems for trauma. Perhaps the best medicine for our grief is the ability to indulge in our imagination, even for a brief moment. My intention is to provide a sensory experience for the mind, to stimulate the senses and offer the overwhelmed brain of modernity, a moment of solace, a breath through the repetition of light and color. By echoing the ambience and energy of a nostalgic decade, I create realities that are more pleasurable to escape into than the unfavorable circumstances that often follow us in life, a form of denial which serves as a healthy stage in any healing journey. The ability to compartmentalize pain then becomes an act of love and self-respect.

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Further echoing the virtual realities we construct and deconstruct to survive, the combination of digital and traditional mark making in my paintings blurs the boundary between the real and surreal. When we don’t know the way forward, we look back, taking comfort in the familiar before soldiering on into the unknown, humbled by the daunting reminder that every human walks a path as difficult and complex as another. Indulging in our most beautiful daydreams becomes a means for survival, renewal, and rebirth. 

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