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ARTIST'S STATEMENT

I find human beings to be both enchanting and terrifying. Having an innate need to pursue justice, I create art in reaction to some of the worst examples of human nature. I consider my work to be a form of activism—it serves as a means to share ideas with an audience that can facilitate change on a larger scale than I am personally able. At times, I feel like a conduit through which ideas and imagery can be filtered. While looking at disturbing things and teasing out their thought-provoking beauty can be spiritually difficult, I feel the higher purpose of the work requires me to grow a thicker skin. The emotional investment I have in each piece serves the work as it allows me to channel the power of these images for maximum impact. Ultimately, I’ve found that gritty charcoal and the slickness of paint can physically express what I cannot on the many occasions that words escape me.