Home Is Not a Place
2019
20x32”
Acrylic on canvas
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Home is Not a Place is the first piece that I incorporated aerial landscapes into. I used maps and Google Earth to find specific images of places, taken from above. These images became a template to abstract and manipulate something recognizable into something stylized. This piece includes aerial imagery of Kodiak, Alaska, Kent Island, Maryland, and Wicomico County, the three places that I have called home.

Healing is Not Linear
2019
30x40”
Oil on canvas

This piece features an aerial view of Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. I was driven to make this piece when my health took a serious downturn, and I found myself in and out of hospitals for the better part of two years. I used busy colors, textures, and elements inspired by cubism in this work to emphasize how overwhelming and confusing hospitals can be, whether it’s the first time or the hundredth time you’re there. This painting relates to the idea of belonging, and the struggle of feeling disconnected from your own body due to living with chronic illness.

Privilege of Precipitation
2019
15x27”
Oil on antique glass window in original frame

This work depicts of a piece of land that was severely affected by drought, creating discord and damage within the community. Privilege of Precipitation is the piece that drove me to consider how significantly each of our lives are shaped by our location, and how it impacts the opportunities that are available to us.

Don’t Go Out Alone
2019
28x20”
Oil on glass

During a conversation with a group of women about harassment, I noticed that the instances we were discussing happened in our neighborhoods, in our hometowns, or surrounding our college campus. Even in places that women feel at home and connected to, we can never truly let down our guard. The feeling of disconnection between loving your environment and feeling rejected by it is what brought this piece into existence.

This piece is a self portrait incorporated into an aerial view of my neighborhood and the route I walked to school, which was the site of countless instances of verbal, sexual, and physical harassment. I painted this piece on glass so that it was double sided, the darker color palette on the back of the piece representing the hostility and objectification that women often feel, even towards the place they call home.

Heart of the Nation
2019
48x24”
Oil on canvas

Heart of The Nation depicts a woman descending into an aerial view of Washington, D.C. The figure, a representation of women, is sinking into water, being held down and entangled by lines that represent the street layout of the city. I chose to depict Washington, D.C. to emphasize the complicated and conflicting feelings that many Americans have towards this country we call home. This piece focuses on the current administration and political climate. The place that is meant to represent freedom, the heart of our country, is deliberately halting and erasing the progress that women have made towards equality and choice.

Even in Our Youth
2020
30x40”
Oil on canvas

Even in Our Youth is an oil painting that features a portrait and an abstracted aerial landscape. The landscape is an aerial view of downtown Annapolis, the hometown of the model. This piece features more expressive, gestural elements, and uses mainly bright and dark colors. These were intentional choices to show the strength and power that the subject possesses. Elements of the portrait are blended into the landscape, showing our permanent connection to the places that are our homes.

Old Roots, New Branches
2020
36x36”
Oil on canvas

Once you leave home, it never really feels the same when you return again. Returning to a place you once lived can let you see it in a new light — it can be come a site of growth and prosperity, or it can feel like a place you no longer fit. The disparity between where your roots are, and where you are meant to grow can be daunting for many young adults.

Push/Pull
2020
12x18”
Oil on Plexiglas

Push/Pull shows someone in the backdrop of a new city, looking over their shoulder, indicating a look back at the place they once lived. It is important to push yourself on to new and better phases of life, even if something is pulling you back. Move forward fearlessly, embrace the changes that come with age, and find your most authentic self.

Ephemeral Home
2020
11x14”
Oil on glass

This piece touches on feeling that where you grew up is a core part of your identity, but that it doesn’t represent you. People may love the place they came from for its nature, its nostalgia, or its culture, while also resenting it for its political climate, practices, and ideologies. While one may have fondness for a place like this, it makes it hard to fully belong there. This melancholic experience emphasizes the impermanence of any home.

Untitled Mural
2020
10x21”
Paint on gallery wall

This mural shows the street layout of Kent Island, Maryland, Salisbury, Maryland, and Kodiak, Alaska, the three places I have lived. I overlapped the images of the roadmaps to create a visually interesting pattern. This design was created for Salisbury University’s 62nd Senior Exhibition, and served as the backdrop for my paintings.