The best of the best
Bittersweets, Water-soluble Oil on Canvas,
This piece is inspired by a picture found deep in my camera roll. The subject is simple, with a mean message on a sweet treat. I adore the fine line of tone and delivery that separates harsh words meant only with kindness. The joking and lighthearted energy of friends as a sweet gift.
(03.24.25), Charcoal on paper, 18” x 24”
The focus of this work was to get it to completion. It sounds so redundant, but I find that sometimes we stop doing things in fear of potentially ruining what we are doing. This pushed my technical skills in many ways, including my eye. Asking how I am observing things around me. I train my eye to see what I could add to make this feel complete.
I am exceptionally proud of how this turned out. The contrast feels good, the proportions feel accurate, and the drawing takes on its own feeling. She could be contemplating, judging, witnessing, or just passively sitting.
Catching Fire Surreal Rendition, Photoshop and Illustrator,
The Hunger Games series was a staple in my life growing up and a lot of the young adult novels had a specific surrealist quality to their covers. The Hunger Games seemed to have avoided this trend at the time. The goal was to try to apply the same principles to this staple series. The dystopian genre had a huge cultural impact and held a lot of power in it’s imagery. I had struggled with Photoshop and this proved that with the right motivation you can overcome any task.
Mia (02.03.25), Graphite on Paper, 10” x 9”
Though simple and minimal in construction, I feel like this piece has something. There is a feminine quality that makes its presence known. Another moment of letting a drawing take on its own life and essence. A practice of just using the eye with a semi-blind contour drawing
Clicker, Water-soluble Oil on canvas, 24” x 36”
The approach to this piece was different from the rest. I was very frustrated and disappointed in how a painting I had just finished looked. I want to focus on something I could let loose on. The Clicker is a character from a video game, and now an HBO show, and the natural growths and decays felt organic and loose enough where the pressure to be “accurate” wasn’t present. The ability to step back and relax helped this feel successful. I got to experience a hands on lesson in letting the lack of a rigid objective allow for a painting to become it’s own being.
