Artist's statement
Full Artist's statement
My paintings and drawings are comprised of overlapping figures stitched together in one composition. They are multifaceted, abstracted, and meant to evoke the idea that our identity is in flux. Though we are singular beings, our psyche is not. We are molded in part by time and our life experiences.
The subjects in my paintings personify the strength and frailty of consciousness and the depths to which we experience the human condition. The figures are displaced, out of sync and stitched together from a multitude of people, like ghosts or layered memories, both timeless and self-aware.
All of my work can be seen as a journal entry, the manifestation of a deep concern for place and purpose in this world. I reassign faces and body parts through a mixture of trial and error, coupled with random chance and the need to create something from nothing. During this process, I am fully aware that I am seeking answers to a larger question: Who or what defines us as an individual? Are we here by accident, or is there an invisible hand at play? Why are we here? Is there a purpose, or are we just a product of our culture and our experiences? My art is meant to tug at the viewer and suggest that there is more to the material world. Each piece is intentionally shrouded in mystery, letting the viewer interpret its multitude of meanings.
