Artist Statement
At its very core, my art is all about the nature of home: as shelter and nesting spaces, as a place of identity, as a stage for characters to tell their stories, and lastly, as a place of possibility.
In my creative process, I am always thinking about place and play: interiors, atmospheres, structures of shelter, and settings for dwellings, and who will be interacting with, influencing, or being shaped by the spaces I create. We are all shaped by our childhood experiences. The cultural and domestic influences of the 60s, 70s, and 80s resonate deeply with me as an adult. The intense impact they had on me during different stages of my life—as a child playing with dollhouses and drawing interiors, as a teenager rearranging my childhood bedroom countless times, as young adult setting up college dorm rooms and then apartments, and as an adult buying my own homes and decorating them—fuels my fascination with the idea of home, a sense of place, dwellings, and environments, and their artifacts and housewares that set the stage for living.
My two-dimensional creative process is an active and intuitive one layering colors or materials, making lines and abstracting forms, and letting them be fresh and playful rather than stiff reproductions. Playfulness is an important component for exaggerating and abstracting forms allowing them their own reality. I use my art materials like a child with a sense of wonder allowing the brush and ink to be free and the colors to explode upon the surface. I purposely draw in brush and ink, so I cannot erase "mistakes." Instead, I make them work within the composition and allow for imperfections. Patterns and textiles can be suggested and irregular—not cookie cutter shapes. For my three-dimensional creations, I often find interesting objects outside in nature and see them as starting points for nests or artifacts.
Playful, fun, and confident compositions bring me joy and sing to me. That is how I know I am on the right path and being authentic in my work. I hope my artwork invites you into its spaces, transports to places you want to go, and helps you embrace new possibilities for a more personal connection to life around you.