Artist Statement

My work questions the bounds of pattern and the process of recognition. I challenge the rigidity of its rules by examining childlike and psychedelic experiences of reality; in doing so, I situate it in both The Sensible and the Nonsensical. I employ vibrant colors and integrate our senses of sight, touch, and hearing, creating an immersive experience for the viewer and placing them within the layers of the work. Through layers, I create multiple planes, each with its own rules, while simultaneously operating as a whole to form a uniform pattern. Our senses become the backbone of my process; it is intuitive and spontaneous. While I primarily work with oil paint and spackle, I also make experimental sound pieces with a synth, further deepening the layers of my work. While they’re not direct translations of my paintings, they help create a psychedelic atmosphere and are meant to be listened to and viewed as a painting simultaneously.

Hubblepop ovinspections zutz xetorious potanderings, wheremest onest go? I’m influenced by nonsensical language, creating a childlike sense of play–one that transcends into pattern. The attempt to read something that is both similar to and vastly different from English reminds one of childhood; therefore, viewing, touching, and listening to my paintings and experimental sound pieces tap into a child's innocence. My fictitious words shape my approach to a painting: if language is made up of rules, why can’t they be challenged? For a rule to exist, it must be created by an individual, so why can’t I make up my own? Play is essential to experiencing reality. We are losing our sense of play, our wonder, and our naïvitity. I let the brush, sound, and language lead me into the piece; I enter a different world, one that does not exist within our social realm.