Artist Statement

My work embraces two different approaches: One is a conceptual response to social issues, and the other is a formalist exploration of abstraction that is more intuitive.

The conceptual work allows me to draw on a research-informed connection between my own experiences and beliefs in gender equality, racial justice, and human rights with the broader impacts of these issues. By conveying my own experience with the intersections of race, gender, and social justice I hope the work will engage my audience with their own experiences, and create an opening for greater dialogues. The ultimate goal of this work is to seek common solutions. Since I have a personal stake in these issues, I am interested in how employing specific materials such as the use of cast multiples, symbolic found objects, and printmaking processes can lead to works of art that conceptually ask these questions of the viewer.

The other side of my creative practice focuses more on aesthetic concerns within the realm of abstract painting. That engages a more intuitive and reflexive approach. Working with an encaustic wax medium offers a balanced aesthetic of color and movement. Through the use of various 2D and 3D textures and a variety of bright colors, I generate abstract forms that keep the viewer’s eye moving throughout the painting. These works are focused on the material and the manipulation of the wax, integration of paper and other 2D and 3D objects onto the hard surfaces of wood or plexiglass, etc., to transform the materials while generating a pleasing visual for the viewer.

These two artistic practices and varying outcomes offer me a pleasing creative balance and allow me to develop and grow both conceptual approaches and impulsive and reflexive processes.