Artists Statement

I create what I consider to be process-based art; I don’t set out seeking to display a clear message or purpose to a viewer, but to reflect on my own life and relationships. My work is largely, if not entirely, for myself and what I can gain or learn from the process. I am consistently drawn back to food and dogs, though I’ve yet to put the two in communication with each other. Working on food helps me to heal and reflect on one of the most difficult relationships I’ve experienced in my life. My process forces me to spend time with something that is so fundamental for simply surviving, but was for so long one of my biggest enemies. It gives me the space to transform something I’ve battled with for years into something I desire. Beyond being a cute painting, dogs reveal themselves in my work over and over again because they’ve remained a huge portion of my life since I was an infant. They’ve always helped me to reflect on my relationships with other people and my own relationship with myself and my character. Seeing them be such sweet and happy creatures makes me want to reflect that in my own life and how I carry myself, essentially shaping how I want to view the world and appreciate life and my time with others. I’ve also always had a dog who was closer in age to me than my own brother, and who was connected to some of the most important people in my life. When I lost my grandmother at 15, whose relationship with me was like a mother, the dog who knew her and possessed so much of her was vital for my ability to get out of one of the darkest places I’ve ever been. That dog went on to live long enough to see me graduate and begin college, and let me hold onto her through major life events. Painting my own dogs allows me to connect to them and my most loved and most important people in my life. In terms of artistic values, I adore color and textures, and food and dogs allow so much room for bright, wide ranges of colors and textures that I really enjoy.