ARTIST STATEMENT
I’ve always been told I’m a storyteller. It’s second nature for me to depict various characters and scenes that come out of my life. My art-making journey begins with my mom and I at our kitchen table painting and collaging and then covering the messy table with a tablecloth to hide the aftermath of our experimentation. This began the use of a variety of inks, watercolors, pastels and sources as a key factor within my art. These practices are inspired by the Surrealists, who depicted stories and dreams that didn’t always make sense through a variety of materials. I take the element of collage, and make it into my own unique methods of weaving together my personal moments with environments around me. By creating these new stories, I continue to find myself within Surrealist expression. I don’t want peace and harmony within my art; I want to express the chaos that surrounds me and my thoughts. Girl and Giant Squid (2018) displays these narratives through collaging a fond memory in Bar Harbor, Maine. While the day was pleasant and cloudy, the little storyteller in me told me to add a lightning storm, iridescent bird, and of course the giant squid. Together, they represent my wiser self trying to grab a hold of my younger self to bring back to a time where life wasn’t so hectic. To bring these stories I discover within myself to life on paper is what brings me the most joy within my creative process.
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Growing up, art has been a prevalent part of my life. I have gained a lot of love and appreciation towards the arts since I was always creating something with my family. We would sit at my kitchen table and paint for hours on end and when the paint dried, we would cover the table with a tablecloth, so no one suspected a thing. Every color of the acrylic rainbow was on that table.Â
As I continued to find fun ways to incorporate new ideas into my art, I found inspiration through the Surrealist and Impressionist movements along with stories from artists like Frida Kahlo. I love being able to experiment and express moments of my life within my art, from all emotions, similar to how the Impressionists focused on a moment in time, how the Surrealists experimented with imaginative ideas, and how Frida Kahlo conveyed important memories from her life.Â
All of these ideas helped me learn more about myself through creative art practices. It’s important to learn how to experiment, think critically and use creativity in a non-traditional way like art-making. By playing around with new ideas and materials, it opens our eyes to a unique experience that will only further our journey within art.
TEACHING PHILOSPHY
Growing up, art has always been my favorite class. This environment gave me the chance to express myself and my experiences to help strengthen my creative and critical thinking. If it weren’t for arts courses, I would’ve had a difficult time navigating who I want to be and what interests me. Elementary and secondary schooling is an important time in development for children since there are many norms and beliefs that they are learning about, so having a course to take a moment to process and express these new ideas is a healthy practice. This is why I will foster an environment where students can express themselves and think creatively to help navigate them through their current chapter in life.
It’s important to ensure that students feel that they are being represented within the learning environment, so having diverse artists along with a large collection of public and famous artworks that discuss various topics like race, class and identity is crucial. This gives students the opportunity to understand that not only can anyone create art, but there are stories that need to be told from all walks of life. An important part of the artmaking practice is to turn a student’s idea into a work of art, so ensuring that students have the opportunity to think critically about topics that are personal to them that they would like to express. This leads to an important part of the artmaking experience which is finding one’s personal style within art. I will also ensure that the artmaking space is filled with a diverse amount of materials to use along with a variety of references from artists of unique backgrounds. When guiding students on how to create their ideas, they can be taught how to use different materials and then encouraged to have some experimental time to explore how they like to use the material.Â
If it weren’t for my past art teachers, I wouldn’t be the person I am today, which is why I want to share my knowledge and art experiences to my future students. I know there is a student out there who would benefit. There are also students who are still discovering themselves and finding their place in the world and self-expression is a great way to do that. I advocate for self-expression within the arts. To have this impact on the next generation to make them more aware of the world around them when experimenting with the arts is something I cherish deeply.