Statement

My current work is a visual representation of my feelings and past experiences. My day-to-day experiences are colored with systemic sexism and stereotypes surrounding what it means to be a woman - smiling, being pretty and demure, quiet and not emotional, nurturing and not confident. Negotiating the power struggle between gender norms makes daily happenings for women challenging. Additionally, being a person who struggles with anxiety makes facing these sexist acts difficult and emotionally crushing. It makes standing up for what is right painful and uncertain. 

My work aims to help process and heal these painful situations. I craft these images to personify a feeling from these painful experiences or highlight a habit, symptom, or anxiety when emotionally heightened. I use up-close imagery to confront my viewers - they must deal with the image presented to them. There are no other elements to get lost in. Color is also a powerful tool I use. I exaggerate the real colors of my imagery to bring out the colors that already exist. By doing this, I can heighten the movement and emotion of the work. 

How I paint each piece is important to enhance the situation or symptom illustrated. Some works use short feathered marks that mimic meditative, repetitive movements such as yoga, prayer beads, or worry stones. Others use loose swooping lines or layered energetic strokes to exemplify how I’ve felt when anxious or in a painful situation. Using specifically loose or wild brushwork creates chaos and disorganization - a reflection of the internal struggle.

By making the work, I process my feelings. All elements: color, imagery, composition, and brushwork are working toward converting a particular emotion onto the canvas. I hope these works bring awareness to our pain when faced with debilitating feelings of hopelessness, oppression, anxiety and sexism.