Artist Statement
A majority of my work explores the relationship between animal and human nature through hybridization and juxtaposition. My work focuses on overarching themes of women’s rights and the broader human experience, which is conveyed through mediums like painting, printmaking, and ceramics. My primary medium is oil painting, because the meticulous process allows me to create unique narratives that correspond to my ideas and creative ability. My style consists of a broad vibrant color palette with elements of realism, but the subject matter in its entirety is not something of this world. Even though I identify as a painter, I experiment and create with a multitude of mediums. I strive myself on my ability to use every art medium, and this benefits my future in art education. Being well versed in vast mediums will give my future students the freedom to learn and explore a broad list of materials. I plan to create a classroom environment that has the freedom to explore materials and techniques, as it is something I experience in my own artistic practice.
In my work, my goal is to portray otherworldly and odd imagery to raise question about topics relating to the human experience, such as motherhood, power dynamics in society, perception of women, and childhood innocence. I am facilitating this through my interest in researching the similarities between humankind and animal kind, and how societal norms translate between the two subjects. Resembling habits and mindsets can be seen in both animals and humans, and this affects how we as humans respond to and inevitably act like animals.
Some examples displayed in my work are the universality of motherly instincts across species; how the media sexualizes female animal characters to fit the ideal woman standard; prey and predator dynamics in humans: through gender inequalities, and animals: through the food pyramid; the dependency between farmer and farm animals; and playful innocence seen in both children and young animals. The creation of strange and unearthly art allows the viewer to analyze, think deeply, and question the subject matter and what it could mean in relation to the human experience. These conversations are what I aim for with my art. This is facilitated through the lens of animal hybridization to convey the similarities and relationship between the two beings.
