ARTIST STATEMENT
I make large scale acrylic paintings on canvas that explore themes of mental illness and the process of coping and healing. I use the painting process to better understand my anxiety disorder.
The paintings are physically large and psychologically heavy; these elements dominate, skewing one’s sense of stability in body and mind. I use strange proportions, layers of disharmonious colors, and a variety of brushstrokes to create disquieting moods in the paintings.
I paint one hour at a time: the length of a therapy session. I use a meditation statement or key word while I work to imbue the paint with memory of that feeling.
The colors I use tend to be pastel or vibrant, but by thinly layering them over days and weeks I create color mixes that evoke complex emotions. My painting process, like recovery, is back and forth: reground and repeat.