Laguna College of Art + Design

After the sudden loss of my father in 2021, I was driven to paint flowers in his memory, unable to bring flowers to his physical resting spot. I paint daisies in honor of the memories of our family dog Daisy, sunflowers as a symbol of the help and support my father gave me, and red roses to represent me, as my father gifted me roses and a sense of personal purpose.

These collections of paintings are presented within large, baroque frames. Each frame encapsulates a field of grief created by the collaged paintings. I bring the paintings together to create chaos, not to negate it, but rather to show its nature and purpose. The chaos serves to overstimulate the viewers’ senses to induce a state of meditation, similar to the state of meditation I engage in when making the paintings.

The creation of these paintings is a form of therapy for me. I attach visual imagery to the feelings trapped inside my body through form, color, and repetition. This practice becomes a cathartic experience, as I seek a place of reconciliation and acceptance.

I use a wide variety of materials such as sequins, gold, glitter paper, and holographic sheets in my paintings to interact with light and bring a sense of motion so that the artwork sparkles and dances in the viewer’s eye. The spectator becomes a part of the pixelization of memories. Damaged and discarded materials are incorporated to prove to others and myself that even what seems damaged has worth and purpose.