I explore contemporary topics related to womanhood, while formulating ideas derived from commonly used imagery throughout art history. The work is greatly influenced by psychology and the emotional response that can arise through an image. I strive to create intense depictions that attract the human eye, while simultaneously incorporating delightfully disturbing undertones. The beautiful, pleasing, or innocent are juxtaposed with ideas related to Julia Kristeva’s theory on abjection. I am interested in how the body is maintained in today’s American culture and how society has trained females to objectify themselves.

My work is structured through realism in conjunction with elements of surrealism. The large-scale charcoal drawings aim to create a unique environment for the audience, evoking a flux between attraction and intimidation. The rendering and gaze of the figures are meant to draw the viewer close while the slightly larger than life-sized subjects conjure a sense of unease. These strange theatrical scenes are constructed with carefully selected props and composed with dramatic contrasting light. The images are not without comic relief; my goal is for the work to wink at the passer by. The human species is represented as being at the top of the food chain, astonishingly smart, and in charge, but in contrast also seen as a species drastically influenced by emotion. We let these emotions interfere with the way we live, act, and react.