Artist statement
I am interested in human story and human expression. I like the idea of portraits that a viewer can look at and see some kind of intense emotional expression in the face or the body language of the subject and interpret it in such a way that they attach a personal memory or experience to it. That by looking at a portrait of a complete stranger--one with no back story or explanation--the viewer would still be able to see it and have an empathetic response; that they would reflect their own story and their own feeling onto it.
I believe that although every human’s story is unique in its details, they all share the ebb and flow of struggle and joy: heartbreak and happiness; the whole spectrum of human emotion. I want to further explore making art that presents that emotional commonality and allows the viewer to fill in the rest--either their own story or one they’re familiar with.
What I’ve been working on lately are watercolor paintings that show a snapshot of everyday life. The idea is a blend of Vermeer’s portraits of everyday tasks--a maid pouring milk in the kitchen--and those shots in the piles of family photos where the camera was just a second too early and Grandma was still adjusting her hair. I like the idea of those in-between moments in life that are so common that we just ignore or don’t even see being a subject, but still have a comforting familiarity.
a little about me...
Why I do what I do
I was born in Columbia, SC in 1989. As a child, both my parents worked in the downtown capital city. Frequent visits inspired an early fascination with the old office buildings and mills whose stark differences with the suburbs I was used to quickly sparked a curiosity about the people from the past who occupied those spaces and walked the streets years before.
My love for history and stories grew as I got older. That love led me to pursue a bachelor's degree in Humanities with a minor in music.
My biggest artistic influences are songwriters, fiction authors, and other artists who inspire emotion and can express some unspeakable thing that everyone understands, which explains my passion for portraiture
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Through my art, I hope to present the emotional commonality all humans share: the ebb and flow of struggle and joy, heartbreak and happiness—to paint a truly human story that everyone can relate to.
what's happening in the studio...
What I'm working on now.
I've been trying to push myself to be more painterly with my style. To be freer with my mark making and more selective with detail instead of being painstakingly meticulous and determined to include every little fold or shadow or hair. As I work with oil more, I'm trying to take the things I've learned from spending time with other media and translate that into my process.
For years, I've been interested in doing paintings that show a snapshot of everyday life. Of painting real people during real moments.
I love those shots in the piles of family photos where the camera was just a second too early and Grandma was still adjusting her hair. I like the idea of those in-between moments in life that are so common that we just ignore or don’t even see being a subject, but still have a comforting familiarity.
But what’s been brewing in my brain is the idea of moving past just figurative subjects and picking projects that speak to more of what’s been part of my life: issues that are important to me or the things I've been reading or even the music I’ve been listening to. To be a storyteller of my own life.