Artist Statement

I navigate multiple professional identities in relation to art. As a licensed art therapist, I use therapeutic art to support clients from diverse backgrounds. As an assistant professor, I introduce my students to artistic processes that promote self-care and well-being. Through my own art-making as a visual artist, I oscillate between hope and anxiety, exploring my shadow and understanding our collective inner conflicts.

I primarily work with oil paints, which offer a broad range of possibilities for color exploration. My process involves hours of color mixing before I begin painting, and I mainly use a painting knife instead of a brush. While the various color patches might seem spontaneous, the planning of light and dark, warm and cool areas is almost always deliberate. I see myself as an artist who balances spontaneity with intention.

My interest in the human condition drives me to study the human face in many of my works. I am after capturing the "shadow” that lie in the unconscious, and each artwork is connected to my own body, feelings, thoughts, and conflicts. In my human figures, I explore the relationship between self and other through tense and estranged expressions. The emotional qualities of my portraits serve as a provocative force, inviting viewers to engage in dialogue. Whether I’m painting a young child or a cockroach, I see my artworks as mysterious mirrors that reflect who we are. When the artist holds up this mirror, a connection is forged for everyone involved.