My figurative mixed media paintings honor the resilient narratives of my close female relatives. Through physical and psychological acts of construction and repair-- collage, print and transfer— their personal stories materialize experiences of loss, pain, and hope. As a response to art historical representations of female deference, sexualization and violation, I strive to create images of women that express their full humanity and are beautiful on their own complicated terms.

My creative practice is grounded in perceptual drawing and incorporates chance through engagement with a collection of found or created materials which I use to construct the work. I create painted paper, as a separate investigation of color and visual texture, and collect household or natural materials that attract me for their colors, origins, and purposes. The collection of painted paper, as a lexicon of mark and hue, represents the formal language of painting. The layers of painted paper also reference the body, and its repair. The layers accrue like skin, constructing or obscuring form, or are ripped away, leaving only a trace. In rebuilding the image, the painted paper functions as a poultice or bandage.

To begin each work, I respond to the folds and irregularities of my rough substrate, embedding figures within a framework of charcoal or stitched line, to adorn and alter with scraps of painted paper, monotypes, or found materials. Drawing provides the outline of narrative, while collage invites the development of unforeseen content. It is through this process, that balances intention and the serendipity of collage, that I re-envision and amplify female narratives and representation.