Statement

    I have always been interested in challenging the physical and psychological boundaries between humans and nature. In these drawings, I collapse the perception of interior and exterior space. Ranging in size from a few inches to several feet, my drawings reference observations I make of facial features, botanical forms, and anatomical elements. I combine them in a way that allows my subconscious to suggest imagery that visually ties them together. In this way, the works intend to override more rational, conventional depictions of portraiture and landscape.

     Recently, I became interested in the concept of “half-life” which describes a state when half of a substance has dissipated and half remains.  While often used in measuring radioactivity, the term resonates for me when applied to a fallen tree. As it ages, a tree gets invaded by insects, drilled by woodpeckers, and covered by vines until it falls over dead. This marks its half-life. While it no longer “produces,” the tree continues to nourish the ecosystem as it decays. This suggests a way to approach aging. Like the tree, I feel myself dissipating into my surroundings. I describe aging through the lens of nature because it makes visual and philosophical sense. These are my thoughts as I draw, using charcoal and pencil because I love the physical contact with the materials and the immediacy of making marks.