Artist Statement
My work is connected to my emotion and life experiences and uses a created symbolism to represent these happenings. These are inspired from the experiences this life has offered me as well as a desire to create transparency about the way we present ourselves. I typically work with acrylic paints on canvas. The action of physically putting color and form onto a canvas with my own hands feels very personal, and since my work is connected to
personal experiences, it feels that painting goes hand in hand with the purpose of my work. I enjoy the idea of illustrating these concepts in a beautiful way, even if the content behind the painting is a dark concept. It’s a way to create my own silver lining even in the experiences when I feel out of control. Our world in its untouched form is the most beautiful creation in existence so a landscape feels like the right subject matter to represent the content of my work. Each painting seeks to answer the question “what would this experience look like if it were a landscape?” To create these landscapes, there is a general mood or feeling I look to emulate. Which lends itself to certain scenery and ecosystems. Then my goal is to create the, in a beautiful way. Beyond that, I simply collect my colors, study the type of landscape I feel fits the concept, and begin painting. The works become invented scenes as I allow the landscapes to come into existence as they please.
I create these scenes foremost as a tribute to Christ. How He has directed my life through both dark times and seasons of celebration. These paintings allow me to mentally process emotions, create transparency about life as a Christian, and be okay as someone who doesn’t have it together all the time. We each have things we carry, but we aren’t meant to carry all our burdens. These works are intended to help create discussions that are beneficial to our relationships with ourselves and others, to help our mental health and perhaps point us to someone who may be able to carry our burdens for us.