The evolution of my practice.
Welcome to my studio journal!
I am starting this space to share a look behind my practice, focusing on the ideas, processes, and histories that inform my work beyond what fits on a gallery wall label or Instagram post. I also plan to share news and studio practice insights.
I want to share a bit about the evolution of my work and what brought my practice to where it is now. When viewers experience my collage & resin works today, they are seeing the culmination of a deliberate, evolving exploration of material, space, and meaning. My practice did not begin on a flat panel, but rather through three-dimensional and structural thinking.
Building a Foundation in Architecture and Sculpture
My artistic path began with spatial design at the University of Kentucky and Cornell University, where I earned a Master of Architecture with a Minor in Fine Arts focused on sculpture. Architecture taught me to analyze space, thresholds, and structural assembly. Working in sculpture taught me to understand physical mass, form, spatial presence, and how light interacts directly with three-dimensional materials. Together, these two disciplines established the core structural foundation for my creative practice.
The Evolution Through Painting: Horizon and Light
Before bringing these spatial concepts into collage, my journey went through a series of fluid transitions in painting:
Palette Knife Abstract Landscapes: I began translating my sculptural instincts onto panel through thick, textured applications of paint applied with palette knives, building up tactile fields of land and sky.
Ethereal, Brush-Driven Landscapes: As my technique evolved, I shifted toward brushes to capture light, atmosphere, and open horizon. These works remained relatively abstract and expansive, completely stripped of figures, structures, or objects, focusing purely on the quiet dialogue between land, water, and sky.
Acrylic Abstract Mixed Media: Seeking greater freedom of mark-making, I moved further into abstraction, experimenting with fluid acrylics, found and discarded material, and varied surface textures. Though abstract, I view these works as spatial explorations that create depth, layers, and shadows.
Returning to Spatial Assembly and Resin
While both the landscapes and abstract works allowed me to explore depth on a flat plane, my practice shifted toward physical layering and narrative work in 2024. I was fortunate enought to complete 2 transformative summer residencies in Santa Fe, New Mexico (2024 & 2025) , and experience the 2024 Venice Biennale (through a Great Meadows Foundation grant). Seeing artists from all over the world respond to a central curatorial premise was immensely powerful. That exposure pushed me to re-evaluate my direction and prompted a return to my architectural background using collage as a way to create spatial narratives.
I approach collage as a form of spatial assembly. By hand-cutting paper, layering physical elements onto custom shaped panels, and sealing or pairing components with resin, I build dimensional environments. Instead of open, atmospheric skies, these new works create compressed sites that explore how femininity, beauty, and consumer culture intersect.
The structural way I build my work today directly connects back to those early years designing spaces and working with physical materials.
