It could be existential or pragmatic but there is a relationship to philosophy in my studio practice.

Artist Statement

Architecture is supposed to keep us safe. Yet achieving this directive requires navigating a complex system that has profound effects on both our personal and cultural psyches. Our shared experiences of the built environment are colored by personal, political and practical realities that can often feel simultaneously antagonistic and comforting. I make paintings and drawings that engage the visual tropes of contemporary spaces to reveal and revise the stories embedded in the environments we build.

To do this, I draw upon my personal memories of growing up in a “mid-century” modernist house and conflate those with more recent direct memories of interiors and design objects to construct engaging hypothetical interiors. Rather than working from direct source material, I construct my images through a process of remembering, drawing, cutting and improvising forms. I consider these elements at every stage, from ideation to execution of the final work. I use both darkness and lightness for dramatic effect as my invented interiors host a range of potential, related conversations. I also channel, through visual interpretation, narrative tensions informed by symbolism mined from the history of painting, existential philosophy, film, horror fiction, extreme music and politics.

I am particularly invested in post war narratives that shape contemporary life. The history of white flight and its effect on contemporary urban real estate practices directly impacts my work. The implications of these stories do not simply affect my ability to maintain a studio but they literally pervade just about every other aspect of life. Thus, when I render a mid-century modern chair from memory, I allude to a range of narratives related to economic success and privilege.