I’m interested in painting as a way to explore what it means to be human, to be alive in this time and connected to each other—all with our own histories, our traumas, our stories, but sharing in our collective humanity and our circular ties to the future and past. I initially started painting as a therapeutic practice and that continues to be the foundation for my work: using color as a centering healing tool and a way to sit with different combined energies; exploring themes, symbols, and composition as a way to work through various experiences or memories. I like to leave the narrative and environmental elements open-ended in my paintings to create an almost dreamlike feeling similar to the way our psyches process our lives, and perhaps as a way to tap into the more mystical qualities of existence. I’m most focused on the emotional energy of the painting and creating fluid stories that can be inclusive of many connections for the viewer, as they are for me when I work.