DISPLACEMENT
120" x 120" Video installation | projection, 2 channel video, premiere pro, recycled mirrors and mirror shards, recycled wooden frames
Light is the defining point of space and time. The travel of light measures day and night, seconds and minutes, hours and years. Space is defined by its boundaries — Its boundaries created by the reach of the light to our eyes. In "Displacement" I created an environment where light distorts the limitations of space and time by dissolving their boundaries within a fixed environment. Through this dissolution, an intangible environment is created. A place where we can feel immersed, but are fully aware that we are distant from the source of the spaces. The spaces displayed affect the size we perceive our space to be. With the addition of movement a space becomes even more expansive. Within the constrained area, space and time are fully relative. The biases of an individual contract and expand space and time based on their emotions towards the shown surroundings. The same space can stifle one person and liberate another. Time can lengthen for one individual and hasten for the next. The technical measure of the space means nothing without first filtering through the perspective of the viewer.
SKYLINE LOOP
9" x 12" Oil Painting | canvas
"Skyline Loop" is a representative oil painting. This painting was a study of intense shadow and atmospheric layering caused by the slow-fading sunsets of the pacific northwest. Created using a limited color palette chosen to pull out the blues and greens contrasted against the fading snow found at 7,100 elevation in the summer months.
WAYFARING STRANGER
Single cover artwork | Digital Painting | Created for an arrangement of Wayfaring Stranger by Lauran Roberts
"Wayfaring Stranger" is a classic American folk song arranged by Lauran Roberts. The Wayfaring Stranger's authentic western sound was in need of an album cover that melded traditional folk with a female led sound.
JUST LOOKING
18" x 24" Acrylic | mixed media paper
"Just Looking" Is a piece inspired by and excerpt from "The Object Stares Back: On the Nature of Seeing" by James Elkins.
Just looking is more than the act of laying your eyes upon an object. Looking is searching, having an eye out for some unknown focal point. Looking is possessing, desiring to have or to own. Looking is an appetite that yearns to be satisfied. The object of our gaze has no control over our stare. The object stares back at us unwavering, but does it have any power over what we see?
I chose to create a panting that protects a common focus of society's gaze. At first glance all the viewer can discern is a black and white patten, but once the viewer is made aware of the subject, it cannot be unseen. Two female forms are revealed (image right) only once the viewer has permission.
ALIGN
24" x 30" Oil & mixed media | collage, oil paint, acrylic wash
"Align" is an examination of the connection found between our external surroundings and our internal structures. The age-old figure of speech that dogs look like their owners implies time with a particular person or environment changes the physical. Do people who live in cities grow to look different then those who spend their time in farmlands? Do people look different if they prefer the mountains versus the beach? Is it our choices or our surroundings that shape us? I believe the land holds power and "Align" is a depiction of this sentiment.
I utilized a layered process in the creation of "Align". I began with a base of layered collage materials, including maps, writings about the core of the Earth, articles about humanity, and other recycled materials. Then using geometric acrylic washes a green and blue color scheme was applied. Lastly, I worked with oil paint (for the first time ever) to depict a figure loosely reaching for her spine. The spine is covered by a palm frond, reflecting the pattern of vertebrae found beneath the skin.
The comparison of the spine to this element of nature is a key point in this work -- aimed to raise the question of just how deep our physical connection to our surroundings goes.
SHINING LIGHT TO THE SHADOW SELF
156" x 66" Mural | latex paint, stained glass shards, fabric, LED gels
"Shining Light to the Shadow Self" explores the concept of the external and internal display of identity. The shadow-self is expressed as aspects of our lives that are affecting us without our awareness. This Shadow self shapes our understanding of surroundings. I chose to depict an interpretation of my own shadow self through a dreamscape-like sanctuary. By creating a place where I could enter and feel a sense of safety despite the space being based on aspects of self I avoid exploring -- a healing environment was created.
THE WEAVE
96" x 48" Installation | recycled mirrors and frames, wire, masonite, acrylic paint
The Weave is a piece I developed to answer the question “For everything this community provides me, what do I leave behind?” In the context of Gainesville, where the vast majority of people exist as part of a transitory society, the area is constantly changing. As I explored the downtown area, I noticed how neglected many of these public spaces were. Are we as students bringing about the gentrification of our community? Is it because of us that spaces are left to rot to focus on student housing and big chain convenience stores? What can I do in my time here to preserve the history of our community? Inspired by materials and objects observed in the community, I created this piece to be a reflective and meditative experience that invites viewers to consider their space in the Gainesville community.
TENSION IN MEMORY
9" x 12" Graphite | graphite, embroidery thread, Bristol paper
"Tension in Memory" explores the powerful influence of both what we remember and what we forget. Our experiences shape our identities, yet they are fleeting. The presence and absence of memories deeply impact the human experience, holding the power to either liberate us or exert control over us.
