About me

    My paintings are an exploration of photographic memory, the feminine experience, the personality of objects, and the blunt permanence of photo images. My process involves searching through old family photo albums to find reference images for my paintings, and I often find myself questioning whether the photo describes the memory or the memory describes the photo. Desire, discomfort, and nostalgia are themes I continue to explore, however, I am particularly interested in the semi-exciting moments of mundane everyday life. As a woman having lived in the Midwest for most of my life, elements of Midwest culture are a subconscious characteristic in my work, being surrounded by domestic life and the unique ways in which people in the Midwest celebrate, find entertainment, or reward. I see my paintings as a humorous take on embracing femininity, midwest culture, poking fun at societies’ stereotypes. Women in my own family lineage who have taken interest in “masculine” avenues, such as cars or fishing, while still embracing “feminine” traits have been a source of inspiration for me.
Another defining characteristic of my work is the cropped perspective. It is human nature to focus on and identify a face as soon as it is presented, however, cropping out a face or faces, allow objects, bodily gestures, clothing, patterns, and places to become more apparent. I believe these elements provoke subtle memories with strong feelings while still building a visually appealing composition.