Artist Statement
Several major back injuries in the last seven years sent me on a trajectory of doctor’s visits and physical therapy. I have since become familiar with the act of exposing every part of my body and my internal suffering to strangers. Until that point, I had never realized the intimacy of every day rituals like dressing and undressing, sharing and withholding information, and the ability of the body to convey private desires and fears.
My work examines the relationship between observer and the observed inherent in a state of transition or exposure. I often use fragile layers of color to depict the human figure enacting common habits and fleeting expressions. The effective portrayal of strong body language plays an important part in opposing the sensitivity of the media. At first, my figures seem self-possessed, turning their backs, blocking their face or squeezing their eyes shut; however, they are truly vulnerable because of the close vantage point, the lack of covering, or the unavoidable intimacy arising from their body language vocalizing human need and vulnerability.