Artist's Statements

Adorning

My work is an exploration of illness, and the time afterward, a time of healing juxtaposed with anxiety. My recent experiences as a mother have led me to meditate on motherhood, femininity, and disease. In the last few years, I have experienced the growth of a child as well as the growth of multiple uterine fibroids, new life surrounded by the invasion of the aggressive and strange tissue. I use materials associated with a history in craft, decoration, and home insulation. These pieces began as a way of merging the visceral with ornamentation but developed to be more about the body and how it can still be seen as feminine while made faulty by disease. My past experiences as a patient, as well as my role as a registered nurse, inform my practice. Each work starts on the floor, where I apply insulation foam or thermoplastics to wood paneling. The insulation foam is very malleable when wet, temperamental but expands as it dries. Its growth symbolizes the control we reach for but never fully achieve when it comes to treating the body. Additional mediums are then chosen based on the mood of the piece ranging from glass beading, cut paper, crystals, glitter, gold leafing, and frames.

Watercolor Women

Since my teen years, I have been interested in the human body. It started as a way to understand and process my own illness and recovery. As I grow into my own adulthood, I use images that inspire me from advertisements or the fashion industry which help me reflect on my current identity as a new mother and as a nurse who has witnessed nightmares in action. By using watercolor, I am able to paint these women with blood red lips washing away into their surroundings, feeling lost or insubstantial.

Copyright © All rights reserved.
Using Format