I have always been inspired by authenticity, specifically being in pursuit of it. For a while, I felt like I was falling behind my peers as they integrated themselves into everyday life and had purpose, while I floated in limbo, unsure if the person I was becoming was the real me or just a reflection of my environment. Creating has always forced me to confront what was real and what was performative.
Within my artwork, I’ve always wanted more. I keep on asking myself what this means, and I have always questioned what I mean by “more”. Whenever I finish a piece, it never feels done, which is not meant negatively, but more so a feeling of “what’s next?” This is the question that drives me to continue making artwork. It is often that we feel stuck where we are, we hit what we think is rock bottom, and get comfortable there, we build a couch there, and push down any desire to move forward. My paintings and sculptures aim to explore the path to reinvention and growth, and challenge the limits that we seemingly came equipped with. I am a work in progress, and my artwork reflects that; in fact, it honors it and displays the messy parts of growth that I have learned to be no longer ashamed of.
My pieces bring to life objects that seemingly have no use. Using scraps of whatever junk I have lying around, I layer them and give them new life, showing a never-ending cycle of growth and development. My pieces also contain an organic element, with textures resembling flesh layered over a subject already painted. Often, my base paintings have been finished for a while, and I only start to add to them when I feel that the art piece must continue.
I see my work as a mirror— the deepest part of my consciousness painted onto canvas. When starting a piece, there is often chaos and confusion as I try to make sense of what I’m feeling through the action of making. Each work showcases a journey of decluttering and going from lost to found. My process always starts with sketching my exact mental vision, not to replicate it but to record a mental mark. I find the process more interesting than the final product; it’s an active display of growth, which is a main motivation for my artwork. In a sense, my work is about capturing something in progress, a documentation of something in the making. I never like to call my work “done,” giving myself the freedom to add whatever I want, whenever I want. What I once saw as a weakness has become a catalyst for how I create.
