Works on Paper

I am interested in articulating the experiences of everyday life through images of animals paired with texts from my own inner dialogue. These animals range from readily recognizable dogs, cats, and birds, to endangered species such as the lynx and otter. How do animals function in the work? They become stand-ins for me, and can be more carefree and less vulnerable than their maker. These animals are allowed to express my own anxieties, political misgivings, and observations in an honest, awkward, and fiercely intelligent manner. By pairing animals and text, I jam together two parallel tracks or structures, which then create a space for humor, introspection, and pathos.

Animals display emotion accurately. Implying that animals communicate honestly all the time, I believe that animals are authentic selves, more so than people. For example, animals commit violent acts, but not acts of nonsensical cruelty. Animals are inherently good. This belief system underpins my artwork.

Though artists are increasingly becoming more interdisciplinary in their approaches to borrowing from many media, printmaking still differs widely from other paper-based mediums such as cartooning and drawing. An awareness of the unique possibilities offered by printmaking techniques informs my aesthetic.