Artist Statement:

In my work I make connections between personal exploration and artmaking. Using art as a therapeutic process teaches discipline, emotional regulation, and balance. I focus on the therapeutic side of art making, however, I understand that art is more than just a personal outlet, and implies an understanding of materials, the visual language, and history. I am invested in this balance of artmaking as a studio practice and as therapy.

In my studio areas of painting and drawing, I explore dualities by analyzing how constraint and freedom juxtapose but balance one another. This way the different mediums and mark making creates a dynamic surface which shifts between chaos and calmness. Often collaged sewing patterns interact with the painted clusters of organic shapes and loose drawn line. Mixed media also adds to this tension by using paper, pastel, charcoal, and paint. While the mediums are similar, the canvas and the paper create different surfaces and textures for the materials to interact.

Joan Mitchel, Betty Krause, and Andrea Soos are major influences in my work. There is a familiarity and looseness in their mark making that is relatable in a more immediate way. The way I relate to their work is by applying the duality of intention and chance that I see in their art to my own mark making. Joan Mitchel is a great influence in how I use color. I especially admire how she uses color to create spaces for memory, play, and a sense of belonging. This sense of belonging is something that I want others to experience when viewing my own work. Playing with opposing lines and organic forms creates spaces for the viewer to relate to a personal place, object, or emotion. The colors are chosen to create these spaces that can spark memories and free associations that connect these paintings and drawings to the viewer. Therefore, recently, I have begun thinking about my art as a space where viewers find meaning. By adding more depth to the abstract works the surface can become a familiar place.