Artist Statement
I’m interested in how we fit ourselves into the narrative of mass culture and the pressures that exist within it especially in such an idealized digital age. The notion of the ideal is ever changing within the imagery constantly bombarding us from mass media and advertising. This imagery accumulates into what I like to call “mind pollution.”
My paintings, prints and mixed media works process this mind pollution, exploring the contradictory emotions created by media pressures and the escapist ideal. It is both a critique and embrace of the outcomes of our capitalist, consumerist society. My work uses materials such as fluorescent plastic, cellophane, gold leaf, and old lottery tickets with imagery like social media symbols, party decorations. The figures in my work exist in environments of this imagery, often revolving around the originating theme of “a really sad party.” I explore through these appealing, but somewhat unsettling, images a multitude of emotions and issues of mental health.
