Artist's Statement

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Visualizations of my emotions have manifested in my work as swans plummeting to the forest floor, egrets rising out of toxic habitats, and houses of straw on the brink of collapse. All of the imagery in my work is derived from nature and acts as metaphorical placeholders for people and experiences in my life. After experiencing childbirth and postpartum depression in 2015, I began a body of work that explored my experience with visualizing emotions related to the fatigue of motherhood and the dissolution of marriage.

I rediscovered pen and ink at this time when large-scale paintings no longer made sense with my available time. The repetitive hatch marks and dipping the quill into ink became both meditative and healing for me. The structure of my work has an implied symmetry. I am drawn to this as it represents a moment of stability within the chaos of life. When I place the pieces together I am influenced by collage and how it refers to moments of disjointed memory.

The darkness present in my work is infused with moments of hope and resilience. Intertwined with my feelings of anxiety and depression has always been the intense desire to continue the walk through the fire, knowing I will rise up again from the ashes.