In all of my work, I strive to maintain a sense of expressiveness through the use of saturated colors and confident brushstrokes which are a reminder of the process and the physicality of the material. Many of my paintings are created ‘en plein air,’ on location from direct observation, however, I am most interested in capturing the essence of the space rather than conforming strictly to realism. Work done on site tends to be reactionary and energetically painted. My choices of color relate to the temperature, weather conditions, and my own mental state as much as they relate to the local color of the scenery and the resulting painting provides a snapshot of the particular moment in time as I experienced it. The practice of plein air appeals greatly to me for this reason; it is both an intimate and accessible art form.

As a landscape painter, I take inspiration from the beauty of nature but also in how places shape community identity. The spaces I depict range from cultivated public parks to urban alleyways, physical representations of community and connection. I am fascinated by the overlapping of memories that occurs in these shared spaces. Public parks and humble neighborhood alleyways are the sanctuaries of the city where connection is forged both with our neighbors and with the community identity of the city. 

In crafting my composition, I negotiate a simultaneous level of representationalism and aesthetically satisfying abstraction. Continuously balancing realism and graphic simplification provides a challenge that sustains my engagement in the process of creation and stimulates active visual interpretation. I want my work to reveal itself slowly. So much of our visual consumption is fast-paced media designed to be clearly recognizable in an instant and requiring very little effort on part of the consumer. I want my work to be seen at a slower pace and require conscious participation, reconditioning the mind to study and interpret the visual patterns.

The innate intimacy of the human form creates a channel for projection. In combining figures from disparate source material in unusual interactions, I provoke the human urge to reconcile an unfamiliar experience within previously formed frameworks of understanding. My entry into motherhood brought new perspectives on these relationships, especially as I consider my depictions of children. I reflect on my own pivotal moments of development and on my role as a mother with absolute responsibility for my son’s experiences.

Of equal importance to the content is the materiality of the painted surface. Continually adjusting the balance of representationalism and aesthetically satisfying simplification provides a challenge that sustains my creative engagement with the process while enhancing the usefulness of these paintings as tools for projection. Leaving intentional informational gaps prompts the subconscious, automatic response to fill in missing detail, creating more room for a superimposed narrative.

This work operates as a set rather than as individual artworks, like flashcards in a psychological projection test, with related themes emerging as images are viewed in succession. I am excited by the potential of this work to elicit a wide range of responses; the work is intrinsically neutral, yet transforms into positive or negative depictions based on the viewer-projected narrative. My compulsion in creating this work is to tap into the inner psyche, triggering empathetic responses that reconcile past experiences. I am invested in exploring variations of this work to function as specialized projection tests, each set exploring specific traumas and social impacts. Ultimately, it is the potential for vulnerability, human connection, and healing that drives my work.