Artist Statement

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t struggle to articulate my feelings verbally. Art is the only language I’ve developed to adequately express my feelings about the world, and it’s taken a long time to get to this place, but this is why I make art: to express my unique experience of the world in a way that satisfies my need to be seen and heard.

I’ve developed a symbolic language that allows me to express deeper truths about myself and the world in relatable ways. That symbolic language includes things like houses, rabbit ears, ladders, windows, silhouettes, flying saucers – I could go on for a long time, but these are some of the first that come to mind. People who like my work will often compare it to the tarot, and I think that’s appropriate because I’m using symbols to create a particular meaning for myself in the same way symbols are used in the tarot to convey particular meanings.

For me (and I can only speak for myself), my art process distills the human experience. It gradually unfolds and as the details collect, the picture gets richer and more layered with meaning. Details that never intended to work together do to create something really beautiful. It’s not about any one part, it’s about all the parts, and I’ve learned that I can trust myself to make them all work together.

Often, I’ll begin working on a piece by tracing a couple stencils as I sort out a rudimentary shape for the composition. The first steps really aren’t that important because, as I’ve learned, I can create a story out of virtually anything, and the story is what ultimately drives my art making forward.

I consider my work largely sculptural because almost every piece I make requires a high degree of assembly. I cut, I glue, I paint, I draw, I attach, etc. What I exercise most is patience because I do trust myself to be able to resolve any of the design challenges I encounter because I’m taking things one step at a time, and I have a lot of evidence now that this generally leads me to something beautiful and deeply satisfying. (I’m finally trying to live my life in this way, i.e., letting my life unfold like my artistic process and trusting myself to make good choices that push me forward.)

Group Shows

Art + Design Faculty Exhibition. Davidow Fine Art Gallery. New London, New Hampshire. 2019.

3 Artists, 3 States. Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery. Stamford, Connecticut. 2017.

Free for All. Space Gallery. Portland, Maine. 2010.

Maine College of Art Staff Exhibition. June Fitzpatrick Gallery. Portland, Maine. 2009.