Artist Statement

My body of work explores and subverts themes of femininity, nostalgia, and surrealism. I primarily use acrylic paint, oil paint, and colored pencil, but I also incorporate other mediums and three-dimensional elements into some of my paintings. Through the incorporation of these materials, as well as my play between the traditional medium of oils and the “hobbyist” medium of acrylic, I highlight the historical undervaluing of women’s craft while simultaneously expanding my personal definition of painting.

Some of my paintings depict the world around me with rose-colored glasses, while others contrast taboo subject matter—such as women's health, bodily autonomy, religious deconversion, and growing up—with the defining pink color palette present in my work, reflecting my attempt to find comfort in the bittersweet. My art both challenges and embraces hyperfemininity. Through it, I deconstruct my insecurities, recontextualize my childhood, and negotiate my preconceived notions of domesticity and vulnerability as a queer woman. I do this by depicting the exposed feminine figure outside of the male gaze and by incorporating childlike imagery into my paintings, frequently by abstracting human features into doll-like forms.

Drawing from my background in poetry, I play around with symbolism and narrative within my paintings, flattening space to create a dreamlike sense of pattern and whimsy. My work constantly references art history; while I frequently appropriate elements of fairytales and Christian art, my work stylistically reflects my love of surrealist painting, art nouveau, American traditional tattoos, and contemporary illustrative art.

Through my experimentation with the intersection between realism and stylization, I have incorporated illustrative techniques into my fine art practice. This integration has enabled me to dissect and challenge how their relationship mirrors Western patriarchal structures—just as women have been historically undervalued, illustration has been similarly dismissed in the fine art world. Through this exploration, I have come to see my paintings as a way to connect with others through the allure of unconventional narratives and as a way to reconnect with my younger self, who searched for beauty in the act of making, long before understanding its boundaries.