Artist Statement

It’s intriguing how everyone is always alone, in an impenetrable place in their head, and yet it is an experience that everyone has. This is why I create art- I want to share my unique view of a life that everyone lives. The idea of unity amongst everyone in our shared life experiences, emotions, and ideas made me think that it would be interesting to investigate how different cultures have their own views on universal concepts, such as creation, human relations, life, and death. These are concepts that do not have an apparent explanation- what happens when you die?- and thus have traditionally warranted a mythological explanation. These cultural stories guided my work this year, and I started off illustrating traditional stories and putting my own take on them, which turned into me creating visual representations of the things that myths from all over have in common. By exploring this theme, I’ve been able to experiment with new techniques, form a preference for paint and graphite, and develop a more distinct style that incorporates my aesthetic inclination towards bright colors, curved shapes, and dark backgrounds. I’ve learned not to be shy about self-expression, whether that means subtle pencil drawings in the style of the Renaissance masters; strange, dreamy scenes like Dali or Ernst; or fluorescent splatters that emulate Daniel Richter. I’ve tried to mesh together my favorite styles and medias in experiments, to create something interesting while still overcoming my familiar barriers of working slowly and not having a great attention span. But I have still had achievements this year- I can see how cultures are interrelated through storytelling and how they relate to my own life, all while creating something that can filter through that isolation inside my head.