Painting
Interested in the sensation of time, specifically the connectivity of feeling that goes beyond our current time to the times of the past and future, I use common themes of animal symbolism and hybridization to explore time in relation to the taboo of death in our modern world. With the pieces I am currently work on, I'm moving towards incorporating humanistic figures, both skeletal and living, to communicate directly towards the viewer and emphasize themes of joy, suffering, and the connection of death.
Self-Portrait;
Manner of Irish Elk
Oil on Canvas - 18" x 24"
Hand-crafted Pine Frame - 28 1/4" x 34 3/4" 2025
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Wanting to expand the imagery of my work as well as the manner in which it is presented, this piece stands as my first completed portrait in paint. Largely inspired by the discomfort of existence and the feeling of isolation in what is seen as an era of connection, I depicted myself with curling horns that have become to turn inwards. From the awkward positioning of my head leaning on its horns to the desolate surroundings and numerous cell towers, there is nothing to offer reassurance in this scene of life or death.
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Inspired to create a custom frame from scratch, surrounding this piece is the first of which I have ever made. Similarly to the painting, I wanted it to feel desolate in its decor but to still highlight some symbols in the painting such as a the stitches and pines.
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Shadows in Burnet
Oil on Canvas - 25" x 30" - 2025
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Initially an assignment for one of my painting class, I wanted to use this piece as a chance in better my depictions of nature and landscapes, especially in the way they interact with one another. Along with this I experimented with a new way of painting foliage. By using a mixture of mineral spirits and oils with a rag I created gradients in my under-painting and then let much of it remain visible after painting over it in some areas to create a sense of depth. This can be seen particularly in the mid tones between the red and green leaves of the tree covering the sun.
Special Treatment
Oil on Canvas - 16" x 20" - 2025
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With the subject taking up much of the foreground and the obscurity of the background, much its situation is hidden from the viewer except its intensity. Special Treatment depicts my experience dealing with hardships caused by systems I have no say in especially in consideration of how small town communities see the protection of particular rights as overreach into their lives. For the execution of this piece I primarily focused on using larger amounts of paint and moving away from my usual technique that is more in line with dry-brushing.
Untitled Still-Life
Oil on Canvas - 18" x 24" - 2024
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Motivated by the opportunity to paint a real human skull from the late 19th century, this still-life pushed me to utilize my most vibrant palette as well as multiple layers of paint to ensure a sense of depth and space between each object.
Holy Omens of the Past
Oil on Canvas - 30" x 24" - 2024
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As time tramples on, messengers of the past always appear to honor it. in Holy Omens of the Past I wanted to focus on taking a scene seen as gruesome or disturbing and highlight the ritualistic or holy aspects of such a scene, as well as the divine nature of scavenger animals.
Communion of a Single Soul
Oil on Canvas - 18" x 24" - 2024
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Inspired by my habit of recording video journals throughout my life, Communion of a Single Soul depicts animals representative of myself at different stages of my development. As people get older and change, whether intentionally or not, slivers of our former selves always peak through the surface of who we've come to be. With each reprise of our being, the wounds that formed us rarely can be hidden.
Cyrus the Great
Oil on Cardboard - 3" x 6" - 2025
Wanting to loosen my brush work, Cyrus the Great is my smallest piece to date, having a restricted color palette and choppy textured brush strokes. As I work towards communicating my themes more directly to the viewer I used this piece as a stepping stone with Cyrus' direct glare.
