My work centers upon a continual search for belonging. Tensions between distance and proximity fuel a persistent pondering over the idea of home, and whether this is found in an actual space, in the presence of another, or something unattainable altogether. Often expressed through self-portraiture, a practice that emerged out of the isolation of the pandemic, I am investigating responses to trauma from a female perspective. I am thinking about the feminine experience and the complexities of navigating societal expectations, lived experience and the issue of desire. I am also contemplating aspects of femininity through the use of jello as both subject and metaphor. This rendered flesh, dressed up for consumption, temporarily conforms to a mold, but proves transitory - whether devoured or melted away. Jello can symbolize homey domesticity yet simultaneously feels alien; other and familiar all at once. As indirect portraits, these semi-transparent entities symbolize the public and private elements of an individual’s persona and what they choose to conceal or reveal to others.
In contemplating interior and exterior, whether implied internal landscapes or actual physical spaces, outside comes in, and a pervasive calm suggests things may not be as they seem. Botanicals and native plants function as symbolism in the work. Like time travelers, they span into both past and present, existing beyond ourselves. I am inspired by the promise embodied in a seed…where a seemingly dead object holds the potential to become a living entity and agent of healing, beauty and sustenance.