Statement:

Over the course of my BFA capstone, I have been experimenting with materials and painting techniques in isolation. I begin by cutting away the canvas from the stretcher bars. Moving on to work with panels, I use wood and acrylic gel to build surfaces that give illusions of space and dimension. The medium of oil paint allows me to work at various speeds and in layers. I use oil paint to blend, erase, and change parts of the painting over time. 

I have begun burning words into the wood. Words, specifically handwritten words, are integral to my work. They are humanizing, and they also assist me in communicating real or figurative messages within a quasi-abstract space. I pull phrases and inspiration from music, articles, history, and literature.  In this abstract space, I utilize mark-making as a form of artistic language. This process stems from childhood, and helps me analyze my surroundings, physically and psychologically. I prefer wood as a substrate due to its versatility and familiarity.

Fragmentation is a theme throughout my work. By dividing the plane into several sections, I can incorporate opposing viewpoints, textures, or narratives. The resulting compositions have different facets. Even seemingly unfinished areas are meant for the viewer to navigate. Ultimately, the goal of my work is for my viewer to take a new perspective as they contemplate the individual fragments. 

Moving forward, I am focusing on observation and taking an instrumental approach to image-making. To gain a better understanding of truth in contemporary art and the various ways in which it operates today, my next project will be a field study. I will start cataloging, in a handwritten fashion, formal interviews with my peers, artists I admire, and contemporary art enthusiasts. Combining drawing, images from photographs, and art historical references in my work, I seek to put myself in favor of the odds. And, in reference to the canon of history, I hope to understand why individual artists do what they do.