ARTIST STATEMENT

Through painting I experiment with different levels of intensity and magnifications of the human body. While interested in individual features of the figure like faces, toes, and fingers, I am equally fascinated by the entire being of the subject and the environment in which it resides. I explore how feelings are oftentimes fleeting, but in moments feel so tangible. I balance points of opacity and washes to convey the impermanence of feelings.

Straying from the traditional sense of portraiture, I am “idolizing” the people I paint, none of which are famous or well known, but nonetheless are important. My work touches on what it feels like growing up as a girl and entering into adulthood in this “provided body”, through personal experience. I push this sacred narrative by painting the faces of people I know and that you may not. These paintings are an embodiment of friends, family, and through self-portraits, formed as subjects and painted marks; sculpted as flesh through a layered process. 

I begin by working from photographic references that I take. Manipulating the image by using filters, playing with saturation, and fracturing the photo into pieces then brings an added level of visual potency and allows a controlled entrance into breaking away from the original photo. From there I project this choreographed image onto the canvas. I tend to work in extremes, enjoying larger scale work because of the mental and physical requirements and rewards. It is a whole-body affair. When what is represented is as large as what is real, the original framework begins to blur. Conversely, working on a smaller-scale forces me to use a more loose hand, as I view this size as less precious, through a specific, childlike-type of visual language. In addition to layers of acrylic paint, I include mixed media materials like Posca markers, oil pastels, and charcoal, for emphasizing features. I incorporate fluorescent and neon paint, in order to embody a sort of violence in intimacy: an energy that demands attention. I also use warm colors, composition, and perspective to capture vulnerable subjects in positions of power. My work confronts the male gaze, pushing the boundaries on comfortability by creating a sense of voyeurism.

I am influenced by Jenny Saville’s fleshy layers of paint, and her ability to render through abstraction. I find Elly Smallwood’s decisive hand in mark-making useful for large scale paintings. I am fascinated by Lucien Freud’s ability to find truth within his subjects, and his unique relationships built through the process of painting. 

Currently, I am trying to balance using decisive and obsessive hands by playing with representation, using foundational line work to visually communicate as I would with layers of paint. I also use gravity as a tool, emphasizing a sense of direction with drips of paint. 

I am captivated by vulnerability, and how that attracts relatability. Pushing boundaries on comfortability simultaneously seeking truth, these things that I am feeling might be something you’ve felt. Familiar.