Artist Statement

My artwork creates a fantastical world that is playful, humorous, and absurd.  I am creating an extraordinary world by posing questions of “what ifs?” and “why not?”  For example, I asked myself:

“What if we went grocery shopping in claw machines?”  

“What if shoes are turned into hats?”  

“What if lint is the new form of cheese and then there’s a lint-burger joint?”  

The questions are illogical, ridiculous, and silly.  The goal of this work is to question the idea of “normalcy” and challenge the human perception of reality by presenting a world that is very absurd in our eyes, but appears ordinary to the characters that exist in this fantastical world. 

The work exists in many forms.  The drawings are rendered using  watercolor, gouache, and acrylic ink.   Sculptural works are made of glass and small crafting materials such as wood, beads, and wire. The drawings act as a window into the complex hustle of these extraordinary environments; while the sculptural works are  miniature  representations of specific interactions depicted in the drawings but brought to physical form.  Together, the drawings and sculptures show various views into this fantastical world.

This place I’ve created  is detailed, dense and energetic.  My interest in creating this complexity stems from my experience living in Manhattan’s Chinatown.  Chinatown is bustling with people, loud, boisterous, with numerous shops and hidden stores that sell a wide variety of products.  Multiple activities occur simultaneously in a dense city. This commotion is a quality that I wish to replicate within my work - whether it be two creatures bumping into one another a teacup spilling onto another’s shirt, or lots of characters eating together in a busy restaurant. Some activities depicted are ones we humans engage in, and others exist only in this fantasy. The drawings are whimsical, colorful, and visually overwhelming. 

When encountering the work, one might have the feeling of looking for a needle in a haystack.  The process of looking for this “needle” can feel invigorating and joyous when a viewer discovers small moments and fun details within the work.  Active looking allows one to spot the differences between fantasy, a fish-boy, and reality, filling your car with gas. By spotting the difference, viewers can start to wonder if our human way of life within our particular culture should be considered “normal” or absurd, and question our own behaviors.  My work encourages viewers to question their own perceptions of reality and asks them,  “Is the world we live in actually the absurd world.”