STATEMENT:
My practice explores History; both real and imagined. The imagery in my work is inspired by the enduring power of stories and symbols to transcend time and culture; reflecting the wisdom of nature and our shared humanity.
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In 2022, I moved from Los Angeles to my hometown of Dubuque, IA, situated in the driftless area of the upper Mississippi River Valley. My focus turned towards exploring the profound connection between people and place; particularly within the context of a nation shaped by immigration, on land whose native population was forcibly displaced, and within a dominant culture that has distanced itself from the natural world. As a descendent of 19th c. European settlers in the ceded territories, I'm especially interested in how contemporary issues and perspectives have been shaped by deliberate historical omission.
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I work primarily in egg tempera and silverpoint. Central to my artistic practice is the incorporation of materials that provide layers of meaning. In my latest body of work, I’ve incorporated ground pigment derived from salvaged 19th-century Dubuque bricks. These bricks, originally fashioned from local clay deposits, played a pivotal role in constructing frontier boomtowns. The very buildings, born from the land they occupy, now undergo a natural process of decay, symbolizing the cyclical narrative of construction and dissolution—a poignant reflection of the shifting yet permanent relationship to the places we call home.
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Drawing on the visual language of Animism, my imagery seeks to convey a reverence for the inherent spirituality of all things and serve as a reminder of our shared relationship with both each other and nature.