These paintings are depictions of moments in life worth noting. Often, our day to day lives are repetitive, fast paced, and daunting. Because of this, we do not allow ourselves to pause and truly see, deeply feel, and fully experience life. My goal is to help the viewer realize that there are glimpses of light to be found in the spaces we reside in. It is just a matter of allowing yourself to pause.

 

When going about my day, it is typical for me to feel compelled to take photos of what is around me. The light peering through that blinds allowing for the sunlight to delicately touch the objects in the room, a backlit scene of people chatting at dinner as the sun peaks through the curtains, or a room of people gathering as sunlight beams into the room through the windows without them even realizing that the moment is worth noticing. When producing work, the goal is to not only to express the importance of taking in life’s moments, but also to show my audience the importance of composition and mark making. In the process of setting up a painting, I have found that I am drawn to compositions that are broken up into geometrical sections. Often working on a square canvas presents an exciting compositional challenge that forces me to problem solve and be more considerate about where each object is within the confines of the canvas. Additionally, the wide range of ways in which the paint can be applied with a brush is something that interests me. In these pieces, a variety of different kinds of marks can be found, each mark made with a different amount of paint, pressure, and purpose. I want my audience to sit with the work and see the intentionality behind each stroke of paint. 

 

American culture today is one that pushes us to constantly be moving, working, producing, and consuming. I want my work to challenge this aspect of culture and show the audience that they should disconnect and see that there are glimpses of light to be found in every moment. For me, these glimpses of light are a small reminder of hope that will never cease to be present, a purpose to continue on. Being an observer of life instead of a participant can be uncomfortable when we are conditioned to spend our days going from one task to the next, but the outcome of observation is discovery, which has the potential to lead us to a state of peace. Disconnect and discover the light that is around you.