Artist Statement

I create contemporary oil paintings on linen canvas and illustrations on paper and products. I invent visual narratives relating to themes around nature, identity and my travels to places like New England, Japan and coastlines around the world.

I am interested in vintage Americana and depicting identity inspired from retro 50s and 60s imagery. In works such as grandparents and Rusty Truck you can see the aqua blue, mustard yellows with orange red and green inspired from popular culture and films such as Moonrise Kingdom and the tv series like New Girl. I have looked at artists first hand such as David Hockney, Henri Matisse, Monet and Banksy been inspired by fashion such as Alexander McQueen that finds beauty in the ugly found in nature.

The sandy-colored raw linen and any collage elements are fully protected with a clear primer which allows it to remain visible and a feature in this work. You can get a sense of the scale of my paintings with the exhibition images of my artwork on the exhibitions page.

Negative space or space between elements is featured in my art. It is not only what you add but also what you choose to leave out that makes a seemingly simple artwork complex in the planning and execution process.

References to nature can be found throughout my work of maple leaves and oceans. One example is a painting depicting antlers in paint in response to the growing concern the world is facing with regards to the environment. I also explore themes around identity when representing people.

Seeing Japanese art first hand and the culture in Japan helped my practice as an artist and more fully understand the influence Japan has had on my art. I was able to study with 5 different master artists in Kyoto, Japan. The Japanese origami washi paper and marbled paper I use in my collage in my paintings bring a sense of pattern, texture, handmade craft, tradition and history to the work.