Artist Statement

Whether I am in my studio, smelling of oil paint and donuts, or I am out in the field at a state or national park, my work revolves around connection to the natural world. My work comes from being a little bit obsessed with rocks, plants, fossils, animals of all kinds, unusual cacti, and the way sunlight filtering through the trees can make a hiking trail feel magical. My paintings and ceramics are love letters to the places I’ve explored and the knowledge I’ve gathered through my passion for geology, paleontology, biology, and botany.

 

My plein air paintings are created on location, often capturing striking geological outcroppings, unique plant life, and the ever-changing weather conditions. Through expressive color, I strive to convey not just what I see but the feeling of being there. I show the shifting light, the warmth of sun-soaked rock in the desert, or the chill of an overcast, blustery mountainside. These are not just paintings, but memories of the experience of being places made visible and permanent. 

 

In the studio, my current body of work takes two distinct paths. Some paintings highlight quiet, easily overlooked moments of beauty that I have seen and photographed while out hiking. The paintings are small in size to mimic the way they exist in nature, a moment of joy felt when seeing a small moment of beauty. My other paintings embrace a more whimsical approach, using playful donut still life to explore shape and color. Even these donut paintings often reference geology, echoing the forms of ancient stone circles or geological processes such as faults, intrusive magma, and metamorphism.

 

My ceramic work continues this dialogue with nature and geology, centering on thrown and handbuilt pots designed specifically to complement the cacti and bonsai trees I grow from seed. These vessels are more than just containers but they are sculptural partners, carefully crafted to enhance the form and character of the plants they hold. 

 

Through both painting and ceramics, my work celebrates the intricate beauty of the natural world and invites viewers to slow down, look closer, and find wonder in the details.