Artist Statement

Personal loss – through death and other tragic means – is paradoxical in that it is both universally shared yet profoundly isolating.  Although still young, I have experienced many personal losses over the years, most notably that of my older sister Nicole. Among the few things that provide comfort are the photographs and home videos of my family’s past. I explore how memories are intrinsically tied to images and objects and how they can idealize as well as outlive the memories that they contain.

My work engages the subject of loss and trauma via the visual artifacts of remembrance.  This is achieved though a digital process of glitching, stretching, and morphing the image to create a rebirth in the image, memory, and individual that has been lost. These glitched images are often painted to further a sense of permanence and importance. In other works, the photograph is painted on directly with vibrant abstraction as a tribute or metamorphosis exuding an aura around these figures. 

Finally, in other works there are physical installations that act as monuments to these individuals and profound moments in my life, creating a momento mori by using dead technology such as VHS videos that decay and slowly render themselves inoperable. By employing an alchemical approach to painting and other media, I point to the historical presences that surround familiar objects, experiences, and memories and the universal struggle with mortality.