Artist Statement
All my life, I have enjoyed observing my surroundings; whether watching the birds dig through the leaves for insects out my back door, or listening to the wind blow through the trees, or people watching at the airport and noting how others deal with boredom. I find it fascinating to note idiosyncrasies and how they can make even the most mundane subjects interesting. Illustration, in particular, allows me to see these unique qualities with a great deal of intimacy; I notice details I would not usually catch with just a cursory look: how someone holds their hands, a freckle under the eye, the intricacy of a leaf, color gradation in fur, asymmetry in bone structure. Through documenting these details in a drawing, I build a greater familiarity and a more holistic understanding of my subject as well as engaging in a creative and stimulating activity.
The materials I use in my art are usually pencil and pen but I also enjoy painting with gouache. The theme of my art is most often of the natural world in the form of landscapes, flora, or fauna as I spend a great deal of my time in the wilderness and I am able to build another level of connection through making art based off those experiences.
Each project gives me a new perspective on a subject, which in turn inspires me to explore and see what nuances I have missed of subjects I am familiar with as well as inspiring me to convey those findings in visually appealing works of art.