Artist Statement

For the past year and a half, much of my artwork has centered the experience of being exposed to both natural landscapes and the busyness of city life while growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Many of the plants in my artwork are native to the state and were often seen in parks around the city or creeping through the cracks and crevasses in paved streets and buildings.

The goal is to pair these distinctions together, to show the harmony that is created by such plants that have no choice but to adapt to the world of human creations. Another intention of mine is to show the spiritual capabilities that natural elements can elicit in our lives. These ideas are abstracted in my work, with collage and distorted compositions.

In addition to the subject matter listed above, I am starting a series of works that solely highlight plant-life, which is often overlooked yet play such a crucial role in many aspects of life. Plants have the ability to establish a connection with the shared human experience. Whether that be through touch, sight, smell, hearing trees sway through the wind, or tasting a piece of lettuce on a fork, every human has had an interaction with a plant in some way.

Researching these themes further has truly taught me to appreciate even the smallest of things that make up the natural world. I hope my art will encourage viewers to ground themselves and reflect on the role that plants play in their lives even if they may not notice it firsthand.