This is the artist statement for my series, A Brief History of Being.

This new body of work was a series that evolved in slow motion. Built up layer on layer, many of these paintings have been in process since 2019. As a result, there is a painterly texture that only time can create. When I was making these pieces, I revisited interests in astrobiology and the early formation of plant life, stretching my mental faculties to try to wrap my head around the very thin, and strange lines between the past and present realities of biological life on Earth. These works explore the idea of plants as ancient and mysterious, with lives and histories of their own. Humanity is deeply interconnected with plant life; we domesticate them, eat them, wear them, observe them. In my paintings, I try to imagine plants as something other than objects for human use.

The process of making these works involved the concept of negation. I find it important not only to consider what lines and shapes to add, but also, what to take away. In my art practice, balance and lyricism are also extremely important. I consider my paintings not only works of a creative process, but a design process. It is important that they are lively, balanced, and lyrical, as this gives the sense that they are true to life. Plants are inherently sculptural, and I wanted my works to evoke the natural design sensibility that plants embody.

One of the most formative books I have ever read was “The World Without Us” by Alan Weisman. I read it about a decade ago and it has stayed with me, coming to my mind almost daily. I suppose when I paint plant life, I often think of plants in a world without us. Even still, this series, “A Brief History of Being” considers the human timeline. Comparatively, humans are much younger than plants; the whole of human existence is incredibly brief. All of this prompts me to take pause, and look around this old world with a heart of gratitude and awe.