About Me
Background
I recently graduated from the University of Illinois with a BFA in Studio Arts and a concentration in printmaking. However, I started making art at a young age, using anything I could find from drawings on rocks to paintings made entirely of children’s makeup. Art has always been a source of joy and a pastime that could make hours feel like minutes. I’m passionate about learning any type of skilled work from weaving and embroidery to papermaking and bookbinding- anything that allows me to work with my hands and manipulate a physical form. My interest in specialized craft is what drew me to printmaking in the first place.
I was born and raised in central Illinois and have spent most of my life there. But as a blossoming adult, I’m just beginning to discover the many possibilities that the world has to offer through various travel opportunities. From trips to Europe and a few national parks, I have developed a real love for hiking and a deep appreciation for the endless variety and beauty to be found in nature. Both myself and my art are in a period of transition and discovery. I’m only just now starting to puzzle out what it is I like to create and what compels me to create such things. Up until this point, my work has existed largely as a form of documentation. I create drawings, paintings, and collages that directly relate to my experiences with people and places. It is evidence of interest, a method of exploring the world and my curiosity in it, while highlighting the vibrancy and humor of it all.
Process
As a multifaceted artist, I utilize many traditional illustration mediums such as marker, colored pencil, and watercolor and a variety of printmaking techniques. I enjoy layering in elements of collage and textiles into my work and playing with colors, pushing them to reflect and convey the vibrancy of an experience. Often, I use an illustrative style that references the children’s books that originally sparked my love for art and color. The illustrations from books like the Spiderwick Chronicles, Calvin and Hobbs, and Peter Rabbit have had a profound effect on my development as an artist and their influence is visible in my work.
Inspiration
I am interested in what it means to be human and how our relationships with each other and the environment define us. My art is a reflection of personal experiences, acting as a method of holding on to memories and meditating on intense feelings. In short, it is a visual diary. I document and explore my experiences with nature, womanhood, everyday surreality, and all things that inspire a childlike wonder. Taking inspiration from the world around me, my practice revolves around observation; it is an act of noticing and giving care to life’s strange and beautiful moments.