Artist Statement

My senior body of work is a series of floral landscape paintings inspired by vintage wallpaper. I became  inspired by these chaotic, floral patterned wallpapers that you can probably find in your grandma’s  house. I wanted to bring them to a new light. I have always loved nature and the variety of color and  brightness found in flowers. There is a necessary balance of unity and variety between the patterned  wallpaper and the color and form of the flowers. I am particularly interested in how I can use one  pattern against another. Exploring how they clash and the visual harmony between them. Recently I  have been using layered transparency films, it gives me the ability to add or remove layers to see what  works and what doesn’t. It is an experimental process, when combining the layers unpredictable  patterns emerge. I learn from the process as I go. Each work brings a new thought and sparks new  ideas. One surprise I have come across has been that the films have a mirroring effect when deeply  layered. Though it was not the goal of this series, the mirroring adds an effect I plan to explore further.  I’ve also been experimenting with the mixing of my style of painting, realistic vs. illustrated.  

There are many artists who have influenced my work. I am inspired by the works of Post- Impressionists,  fauvists, Pop art, and decorative pattern from the mid-20th century. The painting techniques of the Post Impressionist are a great source of inspiration for me. I am also interested in the simple repetitive forms  made possible by largescale printmaking. The thick paint and brush strokes are beautiful, and because of  their work, I have used a palette knife in many of my own paintings. Tiffany Lynch’s illustrations inspire  my process of layering, something she does a lot in her own floral works. She also uses beautiful bold  flat color and loose line work in her illustrations. My own process mashes together many of these  techniques to explore ideas about landscape, repetition, and pattern.