Artist statement
Working in an impressionistic style, I create narratives that explore themes of self acceptance, especially in terms of sexuality, appearance, and personality. More precisely, I create paintings about feeling prideful, and the liberation of finding confidence as someone who struggles with social anxiety.
To showcase these themes, I’ve created a series of 16x20 inch diptychs that pair portrait studies with non-objective abstract compositions. Each painting is inspired by ideas of self confidence and embracing unique beauty. Simplified backgrounds and thoughtful posing draws attention to the face, making it the focal point. These portraits invite people to see themselves from another perspective and encourage a sense of self-acceptance and appreciation of their own uniqueness.
Working primarily in oil paint, I create realistic portraits and non-objective abstract paintings. Compressed charcoal is used in my work to emphasize dimension and expressive mark-making over the painted surface. I explore the illusion of texture by scribbling with a small paint brush and enhancing textures made by layers of thick paint. Abstraction is incorporated into my work with loose brushstrokes and exaggerated or altered colors that unify the piece.
My work captures subtle details that others might not notice in everyday life. I find inspiration from small details in nature, such as the veins in butterfly wings, light refracting through water, or orange sunlight glowing through a curtain. The contrast between warm and cool tones in complementary color schemes defines my palette. Certain colors convey distinct moods, which is a source of inspiration in my paintings that heavily focus on shape, color and texture to create a compelling paint surface.
