Bio

I am an artist born and raised in the little town of Upland Indiana, where it's cornfields in every direction for miles. I used to resent it, complaining that it was boring without any culture. I realize now that not only was I wrong about that, but additionally I think being brought up in an environment which is somewhat isolated and admittedly whose art scene is almost nonexistent, has taught me to appreciate the world better. It instilled in me a curiosity I can’t shake. I crave new experiences and ideas, especially these which have many levels of human interaction baked into them.

I am fascinated by ancient things layered with the evidence of use and worn with time. Which is why I’m so hooked on ancient asian art, especially that which is related to Chinese mythology, or eastern religion: because these have the additional layer of the stories attached to them. I love being submerged in a world foreign to my own. I’m drawn to new experiences and traveling always sparks in me a desire to create and make art. 

Myths interest me because they’re fantastical and otherworldly but also because they tell readers something about the culture from which they came. Whether a myth is factual or not there’s a sense in which every myth is “true,” they contain truths about their culture of origin and truths which apply more broadly to us as humans. These ancient myths (and modern ones for that matter) attempt to answer big questions like, “Where did we come from and why are we here?” or “What’s really important in life?”

My primary medium is drawing. I love how the raw personality of an artist comes through in their drawings, but I also work in mixed media (drawing, painting, ceramics, and found objects). I try to make art that’s as packed with visual information as possible, often making textures out of individual components. I want the work to hold your attention because there’s always something new to look at, I guess I would consider myself to be a maximalist in my art practice. 

I try to depict things with my art that seem impossible in the real world, fantasy has always been fascinating to me for this reason. I want to create something unreal to this world, but in such a way that it points to something real-er than this world.