Artist Statement

 

          Every aspect of my work aims to raise questions, provoke thought, and explore concepts. I do this by addressing very particular themes and messages. These topics often involve content that can be linked to impermanence, longing, sentimentality, fear, memory, corruption, regret and self-expression. I am able to address these concepts in the art I produce due to the use of symbolism and metaphors. I enjoy creating works that are very illustrative or tell a story.

 

          I draw inspiration and influence from artists such as Nam June Paik, Joeseph Cornell and the Starn twins. Nam June Paik influences me through use of monitors, their subversion and corruption. I draw inspiration from the Starn twins through their use of texturing and layering that creates a grungy feeling within the images that adds a deeper aura of uneasiness. Finally, Joseph Cornell inspires me by use of objects that brings up a feeling of nostalgia that gets transformed into a new art through use of combination. The items are trivial and he uses them for self-expression. I want to mix the ideas from the Starn twins and Joseph Cornell because they create a use of texture by breaking up the image and drawing the viewer in.

 

          I am a mixed media based artist with a strong foundation in photography. I create many works that are original or one of a kind through processes such as hand painting or assemblage combined with found objects. Almost all of my works are made using traditional photographic materials versus a digital approach. Printing on film allows for the creation of a translucent image. I control the opacity of the film through light exposure. Since the image is translucent, it may be viewed on a light box. Alternatively, applying paint directly to the film allows the brush strokes to show though. By hand painting the film it adds detail, texture, and layers. This process creates a unique quality that distinguishes my works from one another. Instead of printing multiple copies of the same image, I create one unique image that would be different from any other I could produce.

 

          Incorporating new media has allowed me to explore ideas regarding the objectivity of data. Data does not exist in a physical form, only through representations of data and in storage mediums. In this sense, data becomes a metaphor directed towards aspects of memory. I do this by exploring the relationship between data corruption and forgetfulness. Human beings have a tendency to change and age with time as data and technology follow a similar trend of upgrading and developing. The corruption of data represents a sense of change and obsoleting old forms of technology, that relates to humans as the forgetfulness and obsoleting of old memories and lives.