Artist Statement
Interconnections
My series “Interconnections” is a collection of quick, unplanned moments with friends, often in social settings like at parties or gatherings at a local bar. I depict situations where everyone’s a little loosened up, not really thinking about how they’re being seen. I like catching people in these in-between moments, when they’re not posing or performing—just existing. There’s an honesty that slips through when no one’s adjusting themselves for the camera.
I take photos to hold onto fleeting moments, but painting is where everything truly unfolds for me. Oil painting requires that I slow down and be more deliberate. It creates space to dig into small interactions and moments of connection to make them feel big—or vice versa. I can layer, erase, push things forward, or let them fade into the background. It’s a way to stretch out a fleeting moment and treat it with care.
My paintings take clear inspiration from drawing, specifically ink, which has also shaped how I work. There is a balance between control and unpredictability when using permanent drawing mediums like ink that feels a lot like how memory behaves. Things soften or sharpen over time; some “ugly” or “unwanted” marks stick around, and I try to let that shift show up in my paintings too.
Even though these are of my people and my spaces, I elicit for my viewer something that feels familiar and can be shared across a range of individuals and experiences. I want most to evoke something tender within the chaos of navigating young adulthood with friends.
