Statement

My work is an ongoing exploration of my own life’s journey. Each painting is a dialogue with my past, a way to honor the ideals and passions that have shaped me. These current paintings are the result of an ongoing conversation with my younger self—the teen who was determined to find meaning, identity, and her place in a world that often felt unstable and overwhelming. 

Growing up in the 1980s, I was enamored with the rebellious vibe of the era’s alternative artists with their outrageous hair, crazy song lyrics, and crazy music videos. Their weirdness felt familiar and authentic. These artists who sang about freedom, pain, love, martians —they became my heroes.  They were my surrogate elders who helped me navigate my emotional life at a time when things at home were quite abysmal. 

The portraits created are not about the subjects themselves but really end up being about what they represent to me: authenticity, bravery, and living a creative life. The process of creating them feels like a sort of meditation on digging deep into memory, seeking the connection between my personal identities from then and now.

My hope is that I create a body of work where the personal and the universal meet; where my story sheds light on the wider human narrative of needing to belong, to be loved, and to be genuine. The end result are these paintings that exist as an honorific symbol of the valuable influences that these artists have had on my life.