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Artist Statement
My paintings let me live out fantasies through characters I create. These stories often involve my conflicted desire to feel a connection to something bigger than myself– to nature, to my family ancestry, or to a sense of spirituality. In a sense I’ve created an alter ego who appears as a recurring protagonist in my paintings. This imaginary version of me is who I wish I could be– a strong, fearless hero engaged in exploration and adventures.
I like to daydream about living in the woods, being completely at home in the wilderness, and having an intuitive understanding of the living things around me. In reality, when I find myself in a forest or on a secluded beach, I don’t have the profound sense of belonging that I expect. Instead I feel like a spectator in a beautiful, mysterious world that is not mine. It’s too far removed from the mannered culture that I’m steeped in, and ultimately belong to. A deep connection to nature is at odds with our controlled, antiseptic society, but I want to be a part of both of them. An aspect of my work explores the awkwardness of an allegiance to both the artificial and the natural.
These ideas bring up many questions that I’m exploring in my work: How free are we to determine our own identities? What kind of culture would be created if modern civilization were wiped out and a group of survivors had to start from scratch? How can we stay in touch with the wild parts of ourselves while living within the order of a “civilized” way of life?
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