emily, west virginia (2023)
Most recently exhibited at Woman Made Gallery. Currently in a private collection.
My painting practice explores the intricacies of female relationships, often through our connection with nature and the physical world. Both meaningful female friendships and engaging with nature nourish my sense of connection to life. Memory also appears as a central motif in my work’s content and process as I scan my past for the people and moments that have shaped me. Reflecting on distant memories, relationships, feelings as sole references for a painting results in a strange dichotomy between a visual articulation of the cherished and the neglected spaces of the forgettable. These types of self reflective research and art making processes have helped me identify childhood and young adult female bonds as being the some of the most important and valuable connections. Emily, West Virginia is inspired by a road-trip to WV in the summer of 2023. Initially used as a way to disconnect and find relief from the pressures of daily life and the studio, our trips have become an integral step in my process. Using memory as a primary reference, loyalty to life becomes secondary to the emotional experience.
