Artist Statement

To me, art isn’t a hobby. Because of having ASD, art has always been my way of communicating when words fail. Storytelling and curiosity has been present through different stages of my life, whether it was playing with my Lakeshore Village People figurines and coming up with intricate storylines, to poetry, stencil art,  making DIY greeting cards, etc.. it helped me and continues to help me understand the world around me. And it is my safe space!

In high school, tapping into my creativity was a way of not only furthering my artistic curiosities, but it was crucial for helping me to survive through my own emotional depression and terrors. Inspired by my art therapist during my senior year, I learned the importance of art therapy being an interactive way to understand emotions through visual imagery, thus encouraging my journey towards emotional resilience. During that time period, I was introduced into the world of magazine collage. Spending hours of skimming through magazines, cutting strands and pieces, and gluing them down like a mosaic reintroduced me back into the creative flow. Since emerging as a college student majoring in Studio Arts and Psychology at CSU Channel Islands, not only has art therapy become my calling, it has become tied to my theme of creating emotional narrative pieces focusing on psychological aspects of the human condition in correlation to nature that surrounds the subject. 

By using the importance of composition, light, and shadow taught by my photography mentor Kathy Cruts,  and vibrant colors with multitude of textures inspired by the works of illustrator Eric Carle, I am able to bring an expressionary piece of art to life. I enjoy the fine arts aspect of the creative process that allows me to use my hands and senses to produce dynamic pieces, so that I can feel the power of being in touch with my mind and body. I love learning new techniques to apply what I learned from one medium to the next, so currently, my areas of expertise flow towards ceramics, acrylic painting, and magazine collage. Though my art mediums are versatile, they are all a self-portrait of my upbringing, values, curiosity, and love of nature. 

I approach my art projects through choosing a prompt such as a theme, an emotion, or a descriptive word. Once I choose a prompt, I ask myself three questions: “What is the message I want to convey?” “What subject matter will compliment or juxtapose the message?” “Is there an element of design I want to explore that I haven’t done before?” Once I have completed my sketch or maquette, I listen to music that is themed to the prompt I am working on, that way I am fully immersed.