I like the reward in hard work. I try not to slow down. I value self-sufficiency. Life is a beautiful gift meant to be wrung dry.

I have more energy than most people, and I expect a lot from life. This seems to be true in my DNA and from believing my life has been a blessing. In high school, I was hit in the head by a baseball while pitching. I fractured my skull and suffered internal bleeding. I spent days in the ICU and a long hospital stay to recover. At the time I did not realize how traumatic this all was. I found myself crying on the two-year anniversary of the accident. That day was a release that cemented for me how fortunate I was. From that day, twenty years ago, I decided that I simply had to go for it in all aspects of my life.

That has been the genesis of my adult life and career. Sometimes I get in my own way, but that doesn’t deter me, it simply forces me to take different aims and discover newer, better ways I can support myself.

After earning my BFA in photography, I started a career as a photographer in the late 2000’s. Ten years ago I started a self-portrait project, examining the theme of self-reliance and what I could achieve on my own. I began painting and photographing myself, painting photographic prints, and then I started buying traditional canvases and dove into becoming a painter. I fully invested and relied on my own call to creativity and production as a life choice.

This body of work is the sounding of that call. It has three pillars: my geographic roots, my family, and my travel experiences.

The first collection is a reflection on the rigidity of the built environment, in contrast to the natural world humans are given. I called this body of work “Invented Borders” since the original inspiration came from the aerial views from flights. Taking in the beautiful landscapes, and the absurdity of property lines cutting up the natural landscape.

The second collection, “Ovate Contrast”, pulls from a similar perspective, but from flying over the Sierra Mountains and seeing the beautiful color contrast nature provides. From above, the trees appear black in winter, color vanishing from the landscape. Snow covers the ground, creating graphic designs that are more poetic but not too different from the land and property lines we’ve created.

“ZIA”, the third collection, grew out of physical necessity. I’ve had tendinitis in my arms and hands for years. The repetitive motion from my work has often made production painful and impacts how I use my hands when I create. So I started experimenting with various brushstrokes and approaches, pulling from my close connection to family and an undeniable tie to the landscape and culture of the Bay Area- my original home. My grandfather's favorite flower was the California Poppy. I did not plan on painting them, but they kept showing up in my work.

California is my muse. Landscape, the meaning of home, family, and place. They are the inspiration for this collection of work.

I find the inspiration behind the pieces almost working in reverse order. It took me a year to realize I was painting the silhouettes of the mountains around the Lake Tahoe area. A region I’ve cherished my entire life. Prior to that I was fascinated with the local waters of Northern California, where I grew up, which only became evident when I realized I was unable to go home during the Covid lockdown.

I am called to translate ideas into visual creations. Whatever ideas I have: I need to execute them visually. It unsettles me if I don’t, and I refuse not to try. My work is a celebration of my life. I leave the personal meaning up to the viewer.

I am trying to wring my life dry. To enjoy what I do and to try and do it well. Hopefully others resonate with my work.