I am a visual artist who embraces art as an avenue of processing contradiction, pain, discovery, and a mechanism to challenge projected assumptions. My belief is that in its current state, art can be limited by how our world defines true ‘art’ and how we traditionally interact with it. By immersing myself in the confusion of immersing and surviving my own emotion, I reflect my internal world colliding with the external one in my work. My pieces layer the chaotic frenzy my brain is capable of, with the emotion resulting from acceptance of oneself and realization of how our external worlds influence our internal ones. Informed by my experiences with and around mental illness and the learnings I’ve gained through my own healing, my art seeks to disrupt the assumptions projected on us all, awakening curiosity in a world obsessed with on-demand elation and ultimately opening the artistic conversation to new voices and ideas. 

I aim to expand our notion of art and how we interact with it, encouraging a multi-sensory experience through the use of texture and strong color. I utilize natural and unnatural textures by layering thick acrylic strokes with delicate imprints from everyday tokens and materials. In doing so, I disturb the concept of technique and the prescriptive nature of ‘good art’. I draw inspiration from the bright and distinct nature of the ‘American’ West and the lush yet harsh landscapes of the Austrian Alps, focusing on the healing capacity of nature on the mind and self, combined with traditional and non-traditional surfaces. Through this combination of natural and manufactured texture, I ask the viewer to question their own interpretation of self and world, challenging assumptions that may result in an internalised shame, judgement, and fear that can perpetuate harm to ourselves and others. My hope is that by allowing others to see themselves in a new way, they can heal the wounds placed upon them through survival in our world and expand the artistic experience to those ignored in the conversation and our society.