I am interested in the ways a work of art can connect people – how to find common ground through colors, form, and subject matter. We all have a deep desire to be understood, and my goal is to allow viewers to see themselves in my work. Depicting familiar emotions that, at the same time, contain an element of the unexpected, the pieces invite the observer to form new perspectives and to create a space for us all to practice seeing each other. Most of the works in this exhibition were made during the pandemic and reflect the isolation that challenged our ability to form and maintain connections. Here you will find objects and faces obscured, views blocked, and rooms empty, following from my own experiences of time spent indoors, yearning for lost community, and struggling with the barriers between myself and my loved ones. In the last few years, I have become increasingly interested in creating a sense of ambiguity in my paintings. Washing over a scene the way a certain mood often washes over one’s experience of reality, luminescence and translucency come together to create dynamic colors and forms that leave some things up to the imagination. I have also been drawn to three- dimensional works, drawing on influences of classical stone relief sculpture, whose form highlights ambiguity in the way it raises parts of a scene to the forefront while leaving other aspects to be supplied by the viewer. I hope this ambiguity serves as an entry point for the viewer to find their place – in the space Between You and Me.
