ARTIST STATEMENT

I specialize in figure drawings in charcoal and pastels, as well as figure sculpting in ceramic and bronze. The main collection of work in my portfolio is "Unmasked: The Exploration of Self Identity".

"Unmasked" discusses the unexpressed emotions from my childhood. It is essential and cathartic for me to use art as a healthy creative outlet to best discuss my past. Although, this collection of work stems from my personal stand point, it is essential for the figures to lack my specific facial features. Also, the figure represents androgynous physical qualities in order to not narrow the viewer's perspective to a specific gender or individual. This is done with the intention to allow the viewer to personalize the emotions evoked by the work.

I use an androgynous abstracted nude figure with mixed media to represent the unexposed emotions of stress, tension, agony, fragmentation and sadness from my past. I pose the figure in contorted positions to illustrate hidden emotions. I create scarred surfaces using clay, steel and bronze with cracks, texture, and male/female characteristics to convey my fears of remaining emotionally mute.