Artiststatement

Growing up in rural Iowa, I always felt a deep connection to the outside world, to the spaces where buildings did not impose, to the areas that appeared to be untouched by infrastructure and technology. Barefoot in the grass, feeling the cold ground beneath my feet, observing nature’s tiny details - that’s when I have felt most alive. These experiences have made it evident to me that humans belong to a world that is much larger than the one we have created. We belong to the Wild World, and we share the same planet, systems, and mortality with all of creation. Through the smears of messy charcoal and the stippling of my pen, I am able to communicate this personal philosophy of mine.

 

I enjoy drawing human bodies, trees, plants, and catching the details and patterns of those subjects. My artwork includes concepts of life within death, systems of the earth, patterns of the environment, and similarities between bodies and trees. I enjoy drawing single objects or creatures, and finding different techniques (e.i., stippling, or drawing only with tiny lines, etc.) that bring out the patterns, shading, and form of whatever my subject may be.

 

I almost always work within the grayscale, because I find that more attention is brought to the forms, shapes, lines, and essence of the subjects. I like the haunting boldness that the grayscale creates in my work. Charcoal and pen are my two main mediums. I find that pen allows my subjects to retain their sharp details, while charcoal allows me to explore by smudging and blending to create dramatic shading.

 

I am a child of the earth. I am created from the same matter that every other creature is created from. I am not made by the genius of man, but from the creative Divine. Through my artwork, I am able to realize this and participate in the creative energy of our world.

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