Bio/Statement

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

The vast majority of my art seems to make itself. It is a fifth limb in self expression; emotions are complex and the mind is mysterious, so art has always been a tool of communication for me. Art is a meditation of understanding my entire self; asking and answering, and finishing the work only once it feels like a photo of my mind. I see the creation of art as a pure expression of living consciousness; making just to make something, existing just because. In my art, I aim to engage empathy in the viewer. While creating, I follow every path that makes me feel something, the feelings getting closer and clearer to me as I find the finished piece. I envision life through time and development, using sculpture and sculptural jewelry to craft emotional and often unsettling work. The mediums I craft with are very high contrast: silver and wool, plastic and bone, copper and grotesque special effects. Their opposite natures crash against each other, intertwine, to create odd new experiences for the eye. 

I am inspired by between-stages of life, which are messy and disturb the living. Life builds life builds death, which once again builds life by decaying into a complicated microbial ecosystem that meanders up the food chain. I often think about what it means to be classified as alive, and how we as individuals go about making these decisions for other creatures. Intelligence, consumption, survival, community, a brain, a voice, and a capacity to grow, change, or multiply. These absolutely human features can also be found in a hissing cockroach; some are features of malignant tumors. 

I cannot stand willful ignorance nor apathy. Time and time again, we learn– we are alive to think and feel. Because of this, I find the most fascinating period in art history is the Paleolithic age. After millions of years of survival and instinct, pleasure and intention were scratched into the cavern walls forever. Need makes room for want as passion sparks in the brain. The communication I seek when I create necessitates a flexible and focused process, since I make art meant to evoke emotion. I am prone to sudden pivots in concept, sometimes for nearly the entire creative process– vivid and vibrant, the final vision is realized over time. Emotions are complex and the mind is mysterious, but life is determination beyond everything.