Artist Statement

 

Life is beautiful and confusing. Sometimes you can make out what it is and other times it’s a mystery. Our futures are not set in stone, and we shift and grow as humans. This is something that relates to nature. Our lives relate to the patterns of nature because parts of us grow and die, moving and bending within ourselves. We are diverse beings.

 

This body of work explores the relation of plants and abstraction as an analogy for human nature. The plants relate to ourselves— similar to each other in biology but unique in our individual expression, and colorful in personalities and character. By placing down roots and living in community, we intertwine our lives with those around us. The mixed media abstractions relate to our humanity— being emotional and complex individuals, and confusing at times. Our brains often work in wild ways. In the pieces, the 3D abstractions are layered over the paintings, covering some of the plants. This alludes to the idea that sometimes you have to look through or past your feelings to see what you’re made of and how it fits with the rest of the world and, more importantly, yourself.

 

All the plants represented in these pieces are those from my family garden, which is an intimate connection for me as the artist, and aiding in furthering the bond between these ideas. At times, our own humanity doesn’t make sense. However, it is still the most beautiful combination in existence.