Artist Statement

My work explores the relationship between different facets of the natural world through a batik process called pysanky. This wax resist method involves layering dye on eggs, resulting in vibrant, intricate designs revealed after melting the wax off the surface of the piece. Because eggs are inherently associated with fertility and evolution, I explore these themes throughout my pieces. I often focus on eggs and creatures adjacent to them as a way to forge a connection between my medium and my subjects. 

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The connections my art creates are integral to the process, and I begin with an initial focus on the bond between the medium and subject. I then investigate these relationships, both across multiple eggs and on single eggs, aiming to create continuity within and between my pieces. Finally, connection with the audience is a major consideration in each work. Because my work is typically very small, it is especially important to forge an appealing connection between viewer and art. The way that I create a relationship with the audience depends on the piece and the subject of the egg, and I often employ striking imagery, line quality, and color to grasp attention. My work challenges conventional techniques through my unique medium and unconventional patterns, while developing a complicated relationship with its audience.

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My latest piece features a series of three different plants, each with unique personal significance. All three eggs are reminders of the people associated with the plants, whether those be the people who gifted them to me or who introduced me to them. Although this is a departure from my more direct references to evolution, it still references growth broadly as I focus on the way my relationships have flourished, like the plants pictured, with the people around me. My future work will continue to include series of eggs, but I’m also likely to explore a larger scale to allow myself more surface area to work with and simply to create a more striking piece.