artist statement

abandoned farming buildings in western massachusetts along the appalachian trail, nestled in the berkshire mountains. power plant facilities side by side with city housing and empty spanish montessori elementary schools. dreamscapes where the subconscious reigns. hazy environments where unspoken details point towards what’s to come. I like the idea of my art presenting a momentary glance into another universe, different yet similar to ours. Glancing into holy ceremonies or even just a banal moment for them, that is so foreign and fascinating to us. It’s creating the moment. Visually taking inspiration from the queer nightlife scene, which fostered me as a teenager and young adult, these characters are ripped straight from my imagination and created completely by me from the makeup and hair to styling what they wear. There is a sense of belonging with them in my work, playing with the subconscious and psychological with also some older americana landscapes.

I chose to work in 3D photo collage using a lot of accessible materials because I find this allows me to play with my pieces in a way that incorporates different textures and objects reflecting light. Building up and carving out specific pieces of my work with foam board and cardboard lets me create depth within the piece. Using materials such as turf to emulate grass also brings a familiarity and a new sensation to the piece that would have been lost had I only been using the printed image. I love for my work to change, depending on how you look at it, which is why I love incorporating glitter and iridescent materials within my work, as I find the way it captures light and shifts it to be truly fascinating and engaging. The mix in the printed image between images I have personally taken and images I have sourced from the internet, allows for each piece to have an individual breath.