Artist Statement

It wasn't until moving back into my childhood bedroom at the beginning of the pandemic that I began to explore the theme of girlhood within my work. In my current projects, I desire to highlight the contradictions between childhood and adulthood, between things fleeting, delicate, and sheltered, with some of the more unpleasant realities of womanhood, such as objectification, perceived inferiority, and even abuse. 

I often incorporate symbols and representations of girlhood in my art, like stuffed animals, costumes, and fairy tale references. My goal is not to simply present stillness in these objects but to suggest there is more happening beyond the scene itself. I want the viewer to experience something vaguely uncanny and slightly askew- which is often the reality with many depictions of womanhood. My paintings function like a page torn out of a storybook- context removed, but with all the wonder and open-ended questions still intact. 

My artistic style takes heavy inspiration from things once shiny and now lackluster, such as the hidden gems that make up vintage archives, estate sales, oddity shops, and even the darkened storage containers of my bedroom, such as a teddy bear with the stitches coming undone from years of both smothering love and improper care.

I primarily use acrylic paint, creating the appearance of staining in my pieces by building up layers of watered-down, semi-transparent paint. Through this technique, I develop depth, shadows, and translucent overlays within my work. In my paintings, I seek to preserve any strange abnormalities that may naturally show up, such as a misplaced smudge or an unintended spill of paint, to convey a decaying element inspired by antiques and their wabi-sabi nature.