Artist Statement:
I find that the observation of my environment has driven my work. I live in a circa 1899 brownstone. The area in Brooklyn that I live in is coined brownstone, Brooklyn. This turn-of-the-century architecture has so much visual interest that it inspires me to interpret its beauty within my artwork. For I find that the best stage to use when presenting an idea or thought is something that quite literally is yours. Despite the different scenes and imagery that you might find in my art, there always seems to be something that frames it. That can be seen in the use of color or line work. Most of these stories depict the interior or exterior of my home.
The interior of my house represents the thing that is a constant in my life. No matter how life pushes me, I have always had a roof over my head. However, lately, the roof that has been present has slowly been rotting away. What was once protective is now laid open to the rest of the world. This rotting that I refer to relates to the constant in the life that was taken from me. Specifically, the story that I wanted to tell when creating Deteriorating before my eyes was the feeling of not being able to grieve. This later led to an alternate direction of my work as I confronted this loss while creating this painting. Not having anywhere to put my stagnant emotions, I tried to pour them out into this painting and any later pieces I would work on after it. This has made painting painful, for no matter how much energy I pour into these pieces, it does not replace the fact that I haven’t properly grieved. I have broken brushes, shed tears, and ultimately still feel the same.
