Statement

I grew up in a New England suburb, where centuries-old homes were filled with traditional décor and well cared-for antiques. I became interested in the relationship of tasteful aesthetics to social power, morality, and death.

I make still lives in two and three dimensions, using an eclectic mix of high craft materials and methods. Metalpoint drawing, 19th century mirror making, glass slumping, and egg tempera come together in service of a worldbuilding project where mangled distortions and eerie undertones become secondary subjects to vases, flowers, and silks.

In my sculptures, I have recently been melting fine lead crystal (vases, stemware, and candlesticks from the late 1980s – early 2000s) in a kiln at over 1200 degrees. The process transforms rigid facets into drippy and deflated echos of their former selves. Intricately carved antique furniture often serves as pedestals.

 My drawings are often done in metalpoint, egg tempera, and casein; ancient rendering approaches with roots in antiquity. My panels are coated in many layers of chalk ground and sanded for hours to achieve a matte, marble-like surface.

In my work, middle class domestic collectibles and heirlooms are rendered with a hyper realistic yet hallucinogenic approach, telling stories of power, class, and gender through objects.