How did you get started as an artist?
My interest in art began as an interest in science. I spent my high school years attending a rigorous high school and planning to eventually become a doctor. I learned how to draw, paint, and sculpt for the first time in anatomical illustration in the hopes that it would advance my medical knowledge. When I was halfway through highschool, my mental health declined and art became my solace. This was something that I could not ignore at a point in my life where college applications were looming. Ultimately, I chose to go to art school. I am two years into undergrad and I am confident I made the right choice to begin my artistic career.
I am inspired by my peers, my studiomates and my teachers
What themes does your work involve?
My work is representative of my lived experience. My mother and I share a chronic illness. My work is informed by my fear; my fear of illness, of aging, of degeneration, and of genetics. Through painting and sculpture, I explore the ways that timelines are mirrored across generations through genetics. My past passion for biology and anatomy aids my exploration of these topics; often offering a literal representation of ideas that appear insurmountable. In my paintings, objects and time become storytellers. I attempt to carefully construct depth and then break that illusion at key points to create a sense of discomfort with the viewer.
What is your source of inspiration?
I am inspired by my peers, my studiomates and my teachers; I make better art when I am surrounded by them also making art. I look up to the works of artists like Nan Goldin, Ethel Sands, Salvador Dalî, Ernst Haeckel, and so many more. Common things inspire me; construction sites, medical records, isopods, the relationship between a person and their items, cellular biology, aging, x-rays. But more than anything, color and nature inspire me — my favorite thing to do is look. If I am able to look and to appreciate, inspiration is endless.
