As a figurative oil painter, my body of work recognizes the reality we live in and serves as a reminder of the dangers that surround us. I use the female figure in my work partly because of their presence in art history, but also because the figures are based on myself and people close to me. Using familiar faces acts as a reminder that these realities are not separate from my own life.

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My paintings consist of an earthy, slightly desaturated color palette and smooth, refined brush strokes to create a naturalistic piece to draw the viewer in. Influenced by both Romanticism and abject art, my work explores the pull between confronting reality and being drawn to what is difficult to look at, especially through the body. I take inspiration from Théodore Géricault’s approach to capture the literal representation of death by using real photo references to achieve my vision. Géricault used a more direct, first-hand approach, which I find inspiring and closely connected to my exploration of morbid curiosity and looking at subjects people tend to avoid. In one piece, I reference works such as Reclining Venus and Manet’s Olympia, reworking the traditional depiction of the female figure.​

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Overall, my body of work is about confronting the reality that we often choose to ignore. By using familiar figures and unsettling imagery, I bring that reality closer instead of keeping it distant. Rather than presenting the reference images as something literal, painting allows me to shift how it is experienced. As I continue this body of work, I plan to push this idea further by experimenting with how much tension can exist between what pulls someone in and what pushes them away.