Laguna College of Art + Design

Age of Innocence celebrates a special time of life. In my oil paintings, I explore the quiet moments in childhood. As a child, I remember the freedom I felt—the freedom to play and dream. Children have an incredible ability to forgive completely and love endlessly. They possess the gift of innocence that can either be protected or taken away. Remembering the apprehension young girls experience as they face challenges approaching adolescence, I use nature as a place of solace, giving the girls a place to escape and feel protected. For those whose innocence was ripped from them and their childhood taken away, I weep for the gift they have lost. Like a bird being locked in a cage and crying out for help, the song they sing can be misunderstood. It is my hope that someone will notice and set them free.