The Personal
I have long used art as a means to imagine different worlds. Sometimes this is simply as an exercise in creating whimsy— what if there was a world where mystical creatures could be scientifically studied? Sometimes it’s a test of curiosity— what will happen if I construct a hand out of sticks and run it through the printing press?
Other times, I use art as a means to examine what is happening in this world. I had a very intense experience working on a job one summer, and it left me with a lot of mixed feelings that I needed to process. I ended up turning these into a series called “Techies 2023”. Making each piece helped me to reconcile the experiences I’d had, both positive and negative.
Equus avionyx, 2022. Ink on paper, architectural figurines, 13" x 15"
Arcane Evolution, 2022. Ink on paper, 7" x 7"
Softground Skeleton, 2022. Ink on paper, 7" x 7"
Utility is a form of beauty. I will be useful, 2023. Woodblock print on Japanese paper, 8.5" x 8"
Comedy Tonite!, 2023. Oil on salvaged plywood, 7.5" x 10"
I am what I make, I make what I am, 2023. Woodblock print on Japanese paper, 8.5" x 8"
PNES, 2023. Oil on salvaged plywood, 7.5" x 10"
While I have a project I have a purpose, 2023. Woodblock print on Japanese paper, 8.5" x 8"
"Techies 2023" Installation, side view.
"Techies 2023" Installation.
The Political
I care deeply about social justice and environmentalism—so much so that it’s hard to put it into words, sometimes. Lately, I have been thinking about the future of our planet and our people. Our impact on the environment will long outlast us, it may be our most damning legacy. What will future generations think when they inherit our mistakes?
Long-Term Waste Warning Message (2024) has text directly pulled from the 1993 Sandia National Laboratories report on Nuclear Semiotics. The message was intended to warn people in the far future about the presence of radioactive waste, but on its own, it also reads as a sort of prose-poem about hubris.
This place is a message and part of a series of messages. Pay attention to it!, 2024. Carving on wood salvaged from the basement of the Cathedral of Learning, 10" x 10"
What was here was dangerous and repulsive to us, 2024. Carving on wood salvaged from the basement of the Cathedral of Learning, 10" x 10"
This is not a place of honor, 2024. Carving on wood salvaged from the basement of the Cathedral of Learning, 10" x 10"
Long-Term Waste Warning Message, 2024. Installation view.
Patron Saint of the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch, 2023. Oil on canvas, 18" x 36"
Patron Saint of the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch, 2023. Installation view. Installation base made from salvaged styrofoam and netted bag.