About the Artist

In the hustle of adulthood, the pursuit of an escape often feels like a distant dream, overshadowed by mundane tasks, anxiety, and the relentless tide of pop culture and consumerism. My work seeks to provide a visual reprieve from these pressures, capturing the elusive moments of bliss we long for but rarely achieve. By spotlighting everyday clutter within environments designed to offer solace, I create a stage for the drama between the quest for serenity and the pervasive anxiety of modern living.

My art is a direct response to my lived experiences, particularly the profound losses within my family, which have underscored the universal need to find an escape. This journey is not solitary; many share this longing. As I navigate through life, I draw inspiration from my escapes, collecting references and research from the outdoors. I strive to immerse myself in the environments I depict, capturing not just the beauty but also the stark realities. My travels yield a rich collection of images, ranging from breathtaking sunsets to the harsh presence of garbage in nature, each telling a story of coexistence and conflict.

In addition to the visual elements, I am drawn to working on paper, valuing its resilience and capacity to record the marks of time and damage through its creases. This choice underscores the ephemeral nature of my work, enhancing its connection to the transient moments of peace we seek. My paintings often feature textured layers, merging the realms of painting and sculpture to evoke a tactile experience of the environments I create.

A critical aspect of my work involves analyzing how some seek solace through harmful escapes such as substance abuse, addiction to technology, and other vices. These “dirty escapes” provide temporary relief but ultimately contribute to further anxiety and disconnection. By addressing these issues, I aim to highlight the destructive paths people take in their pursuit of peace and how these choices impact both individuals and society as a whole.

Moreover, my practice extends beyond aesthetics to engage critically with culture, policy, and current events. I aim to “Disrupt a Landscape,” challenging viewers to reflect on the socio-political forces shaping our world. By integrating these elements, my work becomes a commentary on the landscapes we navigate, urging a reconsideration of our interactions with both the natural and constructed worlds. This disruption is not just visual but conceptual, inviting audiences to confront the tensions between our desires for peace and the realities of our environments.

Through this lens, my art is both a personal exploration and a universal dialogue, seeking to inspire a deeper understanding and a renewed vision of the landscapes we inhabit. Only once we acknowledge the reality of our current landscape, can we understand our shared accountability in its future.