Artist Statement

I recently was filling out a questionnaire for an art swapping project, and under “aspirations,” came the part where I had to sum up what I wanted to accomplish artistically in my lifetime in one sentence, and it was shockingly easy to write.

I want to make art that people want in their homes, their sacred spaces, their places of work.
Not because it matches the color scheme, but because it touches something in the people who make those spaces meaningful. Because it draws out their dreams, or lends tranquility, or makes it impossible to forget a horrible truth they are working to change.

In my mind, successful art means something to us about ourselves, the way the books I love are a part of my home and its meaning. Michael from Stranger in a Strange Land reminds me to Grok- drink deep of the moment. Merlin from The Once and Future King cautions me that might never makes right. The Gunslinger helps me remember the face of my father. Lovecraftian monsters haunt my steps and keep me on my toes.

It is my dream to make art that fits into the tapestry of others’ lives, the way my studio is covered in the images of places and works that inspire and guide me. I want to be connected in the way readers are, in the way long distance lovers are by letters and photos. Museums are too sterile for this kind of touch to work. Trading artwork with other artists, making customized works- these are things I need to begin seeking in earnest, and this is my starting point.

“To dream in isolation can be properly splendid to be sure; but to dream in company seems to me infinitely preferable.”
-Clive Barker