Laguna College of Art + Design

I create large figurative oil paintings that revolve around the concept of growth.

Growth is a beautiful experience but can also bring about overwhelming uncomfortable

feelings. I am interested in capturing this duality and exploring how these internal emotions

affect how we interact with our external environments. I want to bring into question, “What

exists in reality and what exists in our subconscious?” I aim to blur that line and combine

multiple realities in a single canvas. Working as a florist has informed how I create

compositions and inspired my use of natural and botanical elements combined with the

human figure. All my paintings derive from an intuitive place and take the form of a visual

subconscious diary for my life. I consider my subconscious like an uncontrollable living

liquid, leaking out little bits of visual information when I least expect it. I chase these

intuitive images as they propel my strong compulsion to create. With reflection I come to

understand what they mean to me, often realizing the paintings serve as a mirror to my inner

self and how I engage with the outer world. Seeing these indirect self-portraits forces me to

become more self-aware, and I experience true growth. I feed these emotions directly back

into my practice.