Throughout my life I have felt more connected to animals than people. This attachment was a place of refuge for me as a child. Now, as an adult I can see how many share a soft spot for animals as well. This connection has been built up throughout civilization by traditional storytelling, and now, modern media. Within my art practice I combine the aesthetics of historical and modern media with animals, in order to tell stories that examine our current world.
 

The mediums I primarily work with are ceramics, painting, and illustration. All of these work together to create the subjects, scenes, and as a whole, stories. Just like the media I draw from, I pay special attention to shape, color, movement, and overall style. All these details come together to communicate to viewers about the artwork’s life story, and its connection to our own culture today. 

 

The subject matter for my work airs on personal experience, some of which has been my relationship with mental health, spirituality, politics, and queerness. I find myself teetering on an interesting border between human, and inhuman. The boundaries between acceptable, and condemnable. Because my claim to humanity is conditional, I forgo this and embrace the inhuman. Hearkening to stories of old, I often center monsters within my work, subverting the traditional narrators in these tales. By doing this I can bring back empathy to those who have had their claim revoked.

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I find that art enables many to participate in complex discussions around social issues. Imagery can bridge the gap that academic language creates. I use these visual bridges to connect my audience with the emerging theory on gender studies. Along with utilizing written theory, I pair this with the work of past and present artists. By combining these disciplines I am able to create comprehensive commentary with many layers. There is a rich history of art acting as commentary. Instead of competing with it I strive to use it as a jumping off point for conversation, propelling myself to the forefront of the important conversations of today. 

 

Within my art practice, I find it essential to pair the messages of my art with engagement in the fight for progress. It is not enough for me to make art about subjects, but to be involved within these communities. As a queer artist I strive to help build and foster these spaces through support and participation, but also through political action. This action can take many forms, but it’s not enough to sit back within larger issues. Pairing art with action serves as a powerful force for societal change within our culture today.

 

As my work progresses I want to continue my own understanding of history, storytelling, and culture. Through this research, I can consider and apply methods on how to weave these elements together to reach others beyond myself. If my art can make an impression on another, I consider it a success and a reason to keep making more.