ARTIST STATEMENT

My work is about the exploration of beauty in the commonplace — the things we live with everyday but fail to notice. There is a redemptive quality to seeing value in things despite their flaws — indeed, because of their flaws. There is no true, untainted perfection to be found on this earth, and so those things that would look perfect seem but a poor shadow of the real thing. Therefore, those things that look imperfect feel more real, more beautiful, because there is no pretense. Seeing beauty in the blemished offers hope.

In the 17^th century, still life painters included in their works objects that remind of the fleeting quality of life, of beauty. The paintings were enjoyed for their aesthetics but posed a constant reminder that this world is temporal. They perfected the use of symbols as narrative while simultaneously drawing attention to ideas of beauty, perfection, and their opposites. 

These paintings are fascinating on a technical level and on a philosophical level because of each painter’s ability to convey a message in simple terms with common objects. I strive to follow in these ideological footsteps, exploring timeless objects through a contemporary lens.