I first encountered art through my mom as a child. She ran an arts program at my elementary school and required me to learn an instrument (piano) and play a sport (ballet) - I was always visually creative outside of those things and became obsessed with drawing at a young age.
©HdM GALLERY
I attended public school, got my associates degree through community college and then went to a small liberal arts college called Evergreen in Washington State where I studied philosophy and literature. Outside of this, I was a student at PNB my entire childhood. From age 8 - 13 I would leave my regular school for several hours on various days of the week so that I could go to dance school.
Growing up I was very interested in doing realistic drawings. One year I did a detailed portrait of every kid in my class. Faces in particular interested me. I tried oil painting for the first time when I was in my early 20’s. I bought some cheap materials and taught myself the basics, obsessed over it for a few months and then gave up because I didn’t like what I made. I started painting again in 2022. I had just moved to LA by myself, was unemployed, living alone and I got sick with covid. I had a lot of free time and couldn’t socialize. A friend mailed me a painting book they picked up from a thrift store, I read it and decided I would try teaching myself again. I didn’t leave my apartment for 2 months and began painting 10 hours a day.
As I said above, becoming a painter was a bit accidental. Pretty quickly after I started in 2022 I realized it was something I could happily dedicate all my time to and so I did. Separate from this - in terms of being an artist, I was a ballerina. I danced for a company called Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) from the age of 6 on, taking a break in high school and doing it off and on in my early adulthood.
When I was teaching myself to paint I focused on what I’ve always been most drawn to which is Baroque artists. I used Caravaggio, Gentileschi and others as points of reference for technique, colors and subjects. While I love chiarascuro I also admire the pallets and styles of figurative painters such as Lucian Freud and American realists like Edward Hopper.
Q. Have you ever reached a plateau in your production? And how do you overcome the obstacles? Have you ever experienced any major change in your artistic production?
Learning how to paint with no formal education, essentially just from looking at paintings was difficult. I’ve had many roadblocks and frustrations with my painting process. With time I learned a great deal about the traditional techniques oil painters use and how to bend these to create my own process. I don’t feel that I have. I’m constantly inspired to make new things and have so much left to explore. I don’t feel like I have the time to do everything I’d like to do.
The biggest change I’ve experienced is switching from painting on panel to linen. It was initially very challenging, the idea of a textured surface scared me. It felt necessary to know how to work with different surfaces and I’m very thankful I made the change.
©HdM GALLERY
Q. Please talk about your art-making routine. How many hours do you usually spend in the studio? Do you have any little habits in the studio?
It varies. When I was making work for this most recent show I would paint anywhere from 6-12 hours a day, for 3 months. I made very little time for much else. When I’m really in my work all my habits sort of revolve around painting. I wake up very early, around 4am. I take a break at noon, sometimes a nap, and then begin again.
©Artist Studio
Q. What is your main medium of creation?Do you have any preferred materials or textures?
My primary medium is oil paint. I chose this because all of my favorite painters are oil painters and I have alot of respect for the medium historically.
I have preferred paint colors which I’ll go more into detail about below. As well as brands of products - currently favoring Williamsburg paints. I also rely heavily on linseed oil as well as gamsol. I use mostly filbert brushes and have recently been experimenting with large, wide brushes that are meant for varnish, but are very useful early on in my process for under painting. I love smooth textures but with sharp lines because I’m trying to create things that are at times hyper real and also soft.
Q. Are there any metaphors in your work? Where do they come from? What do you want to express?
Q. How do you start and end your creations? And how do you determine whether a piece of work is finished?
I put a lot of time into working on images before painting them, especially looking at things collectively. Considering how a body of work fits together and how images feed off each other. I start slowly with an intricate underpainting, the process becomes easier and more loose as the painting progresses and then I tighten and detail things at the very end. It’s hard to say when something is finished, normally I can step away once I’ve added the smaller details and highlights.
I perceive it as intense and all consuming. Also positive and cathartic.
I think my work speaks for itself and that people connect with my perception of it without having to explain very much. I love to hear others interpretations.
Q.What’s your motivation that drives you to create?
Mostly life experience and circumstances. I’ve been through a lot of personal obstacles the past few years of my life. The death of my father, my mother being hospitalized and suffering brain damage, 4 other deaths in my family. There is and has always been a lot of mental illness surrounding those in my life, with a history of schizophrenia on both maternal and paternal sides afflicting many close to me - now there are physical handicaps and other things to take care of. It’s been more than I could have anticipated having to deal with at a young age and is at times a struggle for me. Painting is the most reliable thing I have to release myself from this strain. It’s become a form of meditation and therapy for me, I’m highly motivated to do it for these reasons.
Q. What is the everlasting theme of your creations? What have you been pursuing in your artistic creations?
The everlasting theme in my opinion is looking closely at intimate often uncomfortable psychological moments. This is what I’ve been pursuing because it’s what I do in my personal time and I find it important.
Q.What is the biggest challenge you’re experiencing through your current creations? Are there any concerns that need to be solved?
One of the biggest challenges for me has been finding the time to paint things the way I would like to. My favorite part of my process is the final touches and if I had it my way I would probably take months to add these slowly over time for a single painting. Being self taught at times my process has been slowed because I’ve had to learn through trial and error techniques that make paintings flow together easier. I’m not concerned about it as much as I am excited to explore and see how my process changes over time.
Q. Do you have any upcoming exhibitions or project plans?
Following my solo show at HDM, I don’t have anything scheduled until NADA in the spring of 2025 with De Boer where I’ll have a solo booth.
Q. How do you expect you and your works to be evaluated and remembered by people many years from now?
