Laguna College of Art + Design

This thesis work examines themes of family and marriage. In particular it explores

domesticity with its associated anxiety, and the attempt to escape from such. For me this

anxiety stems from the uncertainty that originates with the possibility of failure. This

uncertainty is depicted in a series of paintings featuring a variety of floating, flying, or

unbalanced people. Some of the paintings are portraits of myself and my family, and some

represent my family. The narrative is furthered by use of specific hand and body gestures that

relate to the struggle of achieving domestic success. Portraiture is used frequently in the body

of work, which includes large multi-figurative paintings, drawings, and small painted head

portraits. The work strives to depict individuals with a tenuous relationship to gravity, as a

metaphor for a larger struggle against the fear of disillusionment.