Individuals

My body of work aims to celebrate individuality in the context of human connections. In this series of large oil paintings, I explore my personal identity while navigating my romantic, platonic, and familial relationships. Reflecting on my belief for years that the only way to find belonging was to fit in, I found new appreciation for the people in my life that are not only different from me, but also support me in preserving and advancing my independence. In these paintings, I use metaphorical stand-ins such as food and birds to examine such relationships, choosing specific species and interactions based on the person and relationships they aim to represent. 

As my work has evolved from figurative to representational, I have taken inspiration from prominent figurative painters such as Elizabeth Peyton, Doron Langberg, and Hernan Bas on how they embody their loved ones in still-lifes or landscapes. Through the use of nonhuman representation, humor, color, and surrealistic compositions, I aim to evoke the feeling of love and closeness that remains while being so different from our loved ones.