artist statement
My work is the examination of the female archetype. As humans, we develop through experiences, environments, lessons, and opinions. We observe, evaluate, compare, and reassess who we are and what we do on a daily basis. My work focuses on how we question and define our ideal example of the feminine but also the overall accomplishment of a cognizant “self.” The work is not to be confused as having answers but is more about the methodology one creates to ask the question then further how the journey of answering the question unfolds.
In the context of contemporary portrait, materiality becomes an important conduit portraying one’s emotional construct. Using the figure as context for mark making, the image is carved, erased, covered, and rebuilt as a metaphorical dissection and reconsideration of “self.” The portrait is less about the superficial appearance and more about one’s consciousness.
Image making becomes a synergistic collection of various processes. The work begins with a photograph- often shot while the figure is in motion, igniting the momentum for mark making. After mounting the image, the figure is manipulated through working with medium- often obstructing the original image but used as an extension of metaphor. Intrinsic to my work is its use of sugar. Sugar creates a transparent but luminescent skin that often extends off the picture ground. The near bas-relief treatment of my work suggests the tangibility of elements usually considered non-tangible (ie. thoughts and emotions). Its compositional emphasis represents a solidified emotional activity, whether it builds and finishes an image or deconstructs the figure.
The space the work inhabits encroaches on that of the viewer, blurring the line between the physical and cognitive worlds. The cognitive is no longer ether we only assume to exist but instead is the pronounced and dominant element of the portrait. Much of the work is relegated to human scale to indicate the innate possibility of existence. The viewer is demanded to relate with the part of photographic image as a potential depiction of truth.
It is important to me that my work embodies a truthful depiction of one’s conscious identity. I realize that my use of the portrait isn’t always considered “beautiful.” My main objective remains to be honesty. I ask the viewer to consider how their emotional state affects their physicality. It is this exploration of depicting emotional constitution that is paramount.