As a travel enthusiast, I have chosen to make the series The Journey from scenes of places I have traveled myself. The figures and places are not accentuated because they are to remind the viewer of his or her own journeys. The viewer’s mind is challenged to fill in the story as she views the pieces.
Fascinated with the relationship between an individual and their environment,
in this series I explore the concept of state of mind. In particular, I am interested in the feeling of discovering a new place and the simultaneous sensation of being comfortable or at ease in that new place. Light plays an impactful role in describing these sensations; by using light in an ethereal, atmospheric way, I allow it to both illustrate the space and the feeling.
I have always been drawn to the way the sun hits the ground after a rainy day. The surface reflects light with such a beautiful glow. In The Journey, I have chosen to capture the glow found on the streets after a rainy day. Inspired by the High Impressionistic style, I use elements of impressionism combined into a more modern day mixed media style. Cardboard is the surface I employ for its natural mid-tone and the beautiful coiled texture embedded in it. Cardboard is often thought of as disposable, so I use it my art to contradict the norm by using it for permanence. Irony is prevalent in my series as I paint images of wet rainy landscape on a surface that would not sustain any wet condition.
I focus on the moments in the dark when we discover that the light is our path.
I explain the feeling of the environment through the quality of the luminance, toying with our expectations of the painted surface along the way. My series of pieces are of memories or states of mind that remain in our minds.