My work is a dream-like representation of my creative visions that stem from musical influences. When creating a painting, I translate choreography into a solidified composition on my canvas. The cinematic aspects of my work come from my visions as a performing artist. My experience as a dancer fuels my fascination with how the human figure can be expressed between my two distinct mediums, physical movement and painting. The dark and imaginative settings in my work allow me to create striking and immersive environments beyond the stage.
My exhibit was substantially inspired by Magritte and his surreal works. The element of mystery in his work combined with his ability to express the uncanny in ways that disorient captures me. Although most people are in awe over Magritte's contemporary, Salvador Dali, who has substantially more compelling work, his connection to antisemitism and fascism causes me to dislike him as a person and an artist. Carrie Anne Baade, another inspiration to my work, distorts realism through collages. Her process of painting from physical pre-existing imagery helped teach me to be a more refined composer in photoshop.
The concept of time vanishes for me while in my studio. I force myself to be there for several hours to the point that I forget to eat or sleep. I cannot be pulled away while maintaining focus. The hypnotic force of music drives this experience for me. This experience drew me to the song, Black Star, from David Bowie’s final album which directly influenced my piece, TITLE. This experimental and cryptic self-portrait further captivates my interest in uncanny valley and surreal art. With this connection I admire Bowie’s work in ways I hadn't anticipated. Bowie publicly writing about his own impending mortality is a testament to who he was as an artist, and who I aspire to be. Animal Collective is another artist I am drawn to with their library of psychedelic music which defined the experimental music scene of the mid-2000s. Their eccentric and chaotic style of music combining multiple genres allows me to think more uniquely about my own work and inspires the vivid color palettes I gravitate towards.
I have a weird relationship with art. There's a level of perfectionism involved that paralyzes me. I often can’t paint something unless I plan a prolonged project, otherwise I am not always satisfied with my work. This takes the enjoyment out of creating even though I strive to actively learn and practice outside of large projects. I cannot bring myself to create unless I have a final outcome conceptualised. If I don’t create, it eats at me, and the longer the break goes on, I am no longer myself. My connection with painting is unparalleled to other mediums. Not all my paintings have meaning, but it is my main outlet of self-expression. Sometimes the work is personal to me, and sometimes activism drives me to create. I am not a speaker or a writer, but I can communicate through visual arts.
