Artist Statement

I am a visual artist who uses drawing, printmaking, and photography to conceptualise my ideas of articulating authenticity, beauty, and harmony. I was born in Chicago, USA, and am currently earning my Master’s of Fine Art at the Glasgow School of Art. Focusing on detail, my works take inspiration from nature and the urban environment, especially architectural ornament. My practice is in conversation with history and revolves around the creation and evolution of my own abstract language and the deconstruction of forms.

The intention is to make each piece an experience, entering a space or realm of contradictions; stagnate and explosive; gravity and levitation; fluidity and solidity. Every piece is a fleeting moment, a snapshot of a larger event. My forms, inspired by nature, are created with the deliberate intention of dancing between the blurred lines of being relatable yet completely foreign. It is through this that each piece is influenced by the variables of my own psychological state, my emotions during the creative process, and the foundation of years of research.

This research is enabled by the pursuit of my curiosity. Visual research topics include abstraction’s relationship to the intersectionality of forms in nature and the role of abstraction and abstract tendencies in design and art history. My curiosity has grown to include a range of topics such as 19th century architectural ornament, and city planning. Studio based research includes the exploration of embracing my own instincts and intuition in regard to automatic drawing, and experimental printmaking. The role of this research is to build a foundation for my own visual forms by examining the past and to learn how to speak to tomorrow.

My mind works backwards. I am dyslexic, diagnosed at an early age. To cope with the challenges of life as a severe dyslexic, I follow the philosophy of Stoicism. I accept what I cannot control, but choose to always be pushing myself, aiming for virtuosity but reflecting on improvement. Developing my strengths, understanding my weaknesses, and striving to be the best artist I can be is what makes me who I am. Instead of being an obstacle, my disability makes my life as an artist a place of serenity and gratitude.  ed the way they did. This curiosity has since included the research of a range of topics such as a scholarly approach to art history, 19th century architectural ornament, astrophysics, city planning, infrared photography of clouds, Surrealist landscapes, Medieval manuscripts, symphonic music, collecting specimens, and embracing my own instincts and intuition.

My forms are like sounds in an orchestra; the same sounds put together a million different ways. They are also like a cityscape; individual creations harmonizing together forming a distinctive landscape. They are like if an orchestra meets city planning; ephemeral meets the substantial. Something ephemeral like clouds; constantly changing but painfully physical, present, and sharp.