Featured in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art from 4/5/2018—5/5/2018 as part of the show Degrees of Separation.

I, along with many others, struggle with an anxiety/panic disorder, and there are days when it’s hard to even carry my own weight. It’s difficult to describe what it’s like to live with mental illness, it is often a very cyclical and repetitive pattern of brokenness and recovery. Living anxiety free will likely never be a reality for me, but it’s possible to feel whole and brave by getting up again and again, to stand while feeling fragile and broken.

Repetition is a core component of my work as an artist, and a recently recurring theme that I have found myself working with are the words “again and again.” They perfectly capture the repetitive nature of recovery, so I decided to use them as the basis of this piece by depicting someone simply standing up and using these words to build the form as it rises. Using silkscreens, I’ve printed this phrase again and again directly on the wall to convey the conflicting permanent and yet fleeting nature of anxiety. I won’t be able to take this piece with me when this show is over, but it will live forever on this wall under all the layers of paint that come with the future exhibitions. In the same way, I’m learning to let go of the idea that anxiety is my defining characteristic while still honoring that it has played an overwhelming part in making me who I am today.

What started out as a small attempt to show my sister how much I love her has turned into a series of sculptures and installations.

This sculpture was featured in a solo show alongside ‘Homesick’, a series of prints, and another collection of drawings. This piece was made in an effort to show my love for my sister, continuing the theme of “what would she look like if she were abstracted in some way?” In this case, she is represented by a wall of yellow fabric tufts, meant to look like flowers or moss growing out of the wall. Using simple materials (old shirts, hot glue, and mostly cardboard as a base) I made puzzle pieces that I then put together to form this organic shape.

While experimenting for a larger project, I ended up creating a series of one-of-a-kind prints that were shown in their own solo show, along with a sculptural piece and a collection of other drawings. These series is called ‘Homesick’. Each print focuses on something or someone that I once found a home in, but no longer can.

This piece was created in an attempt to draw attention to the way that the female body is traditionally represented in art. I picked examples throughout art history and lumped them all together, erasing their faces (all except one) to emphasize their objectification. The one face that I left belongs to a Manet painting, The Luncheon on the Grass, where two men are depicted reclining in the park with two naked prostitutes. The direct gaze of the nude female in the foreground is seen by many to be a challenge, so I chose her to be my crowning jewel.

One of my earlier stipples—this piece solidified my love for stippling!

I did this drawing while sitting on the floor of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

I created this graphite drawing based on a photo I took of a statue on a Roman bridge.

This piece was created as a response to the recent (and not recent) victims of gun violence in the US.

When I discovered weaving, it changed my world. I’ve been weaving for about 5 years now and it’s become my main medium. I recently completed my first large-scale series, titled ‘Bring Light’ showcased here.

This is another of my stipple explorations. A detail of The Bacchante by Jean-Leon Gerome.

This work holds a special place in my heart. Every time I see it, I’m a 21 year old art student with a camera in hand, sitting for three hours at David’s feet. I took this detail shot of his face, and it was a perspective I’d never seen before—and it seemed to perfectly capture the look of anxiety and determination for which this work has always garnered praise. As I took the picture, I thought, “I could stare at this for hours.” So I did.