Statement

Interested in the intersections of human and spiritual experiences, my work carries themes of redemption and sanctification. Shaped by a faith-centered upbringing, I have carried a life-long pursuit of uncovering the sacredness woven into everyday life. In the past, this interest was communicated through large charcoal sculptures. Now as a mother on the other side of postpartum depression, I have a new lens through which I can study these intersections.

Central to my work is the exploration of other-centric, self-sacrificial love—the kind that embodies pain with a purpose. This concept parallels the act of childbirth and child-rearing, where enduring pain leads to the creation and nurturing of new life. I aim to depict not just the struggles inherent in motherhood but also the transformative journey through pain toward purpose and beauty. In this way, I find great inspiration from Elaine Scarry’s book The Body in Pain where she calls for the creative “making” in the face of pain’s “unmaking” of the world. Ultimately, my work serves as a personal exploration of my journey through depression, seeking to find resonance and understanding through artistic expression.

In my current series of narrative drawings, I explore the multifaceted dimensions of motherhood by intertwining contemporary narratives with historical depictions, such as Victorian hidden mother images, the Madonna and Child, and other works from the art historical canon. This synthesis allows me to construct compositions that speak a symbolic language while depicting deeply personal experiences. My creative process begins by gathering imagery that resonates with the themes I wish to explore, including posing for photographs with my children to capture candid moments that embody the essence of motherhood. Collaging these images with elements from art history creates a visual dialogue between the past and present and gives form to a feeling of being held within a suspended state; a feeling of time being both stretched and impossible to track, reflecting the timeless and complex nature of both depression and caregiving. 

While charcoal is not the only medium I use, it does serve as the primary medium for my work. Chosen not only for its richness in tonality but for its ability to distill drama—allowing for the fundamental tension and emotional intensity of the work to occur in its purest and most impactful form. Additionally, the materiality of charcoal carries a unique affinity to the themes I wish to explore. Born from fire's transformative power, it emerges as a residue of destruction yet holds the potential for creation. Its porous structure and absorptive properties make it a natural purifier, capable of filtering impurities and restoring balance. This duality—its origins in burning and its role in cleansing—resonates deeply with themes of transformation, redemption, and the possibility of renewal.

Through my work, I seek to bridge the tangible and the spiritual, using art to explore the deeply personal and universally shared facets of human experience. My practice is rooted in a desire to uncover the sacredness woven into everyday life, finding inspiration in the tension between making and unmaking, suffering and healing, and ultimately, between the seen and the unseen. In doing so, I invite viewers into a visual dialogue that transcends time, evoking the timeless complexities of love, sacrifice, and renewal.