-
Your process and materials are very unique. Can you describe how you create your pieces?
I always begin my paintings with a wash of color covering the whole canvas. After it dries, I sketch the outline of the composition in pencil before adding color and texture. I love creating texture with ground soil from my backyard, and other textured mediums I add to my paints. My color scheme is developed as the piece progresses— I like to make decisions intuitively when it comes to that part of the process.
-
Where do you find your inspiration? How do you decide what symbols to include in your pieces?
I started painting in this style one summer when I was home everyday with my two young daughters. The imagery from this collection comes directly from my surroundings, outside in my yard— dogwood trees, dogs, bugs. I began researching folk art and have leaned into the idea of creating simple work that reflects my day to day life. I’ve always been inspired by vintage textiles and clothing, especially those of the places I’ve traveled throughout my life.
-
Let’s deep dive into one of your featured works, Dogwood Tapestry, 2022. What is this work about?
In 2021, we moved into a house that was built in the early 1950s that was owned by the same woman for 70 years. The first time we saw the backyard I was brought back to my grandmother’s house— hydrangeas and dogwood trees always remind me of spending time in my grandma’s garden as a little girl. There was an immediate sense of home and familiarity. This piece features the dogwood tree, which has come to represent the sentimentality I experience in our new home, and the choice to let my soul settle in and be planted as a grown woman now with my own family.
-
What direction do you see your work moving forward?
I have really felt a sense of arrival in this style of work. I would like to continue creating art that combines organic form with structured composition, in painting, embroidery and custom interior finishes.
