BIRTHPLACE:   Palo Alto, CA BIRTH YEAR:   1981 LIVES IN:   San Francisco

WORKS IN:   Bookselling, Printmaking SCHOOLS:   Academy of Art University, 2008, BFA TAGS:   gallery, figurative, research, abstract, non-profit, drawing, painting, traditional, arts-educator, mixed-media, printmaking

  I hate lies.  Being Bipolar, and a visual artist, I believe I have been challenged to speak my own truths using this unique, and oftentimes misunderstood voice. There is a certain impulsive and aggressive quality in which I draw, paint, and make cuts/marks in various media which has become one of my dialects. Most of my work is representative of my emotions, fears, and inner workings.  Through the various techniques in printmaking (i.e. creating etchings, monotypes, lithographs, woodcut prints, silkscreens, collographs, drypoints, or various combinations) I am able to explore my most primal and emotional processes. Printmaking has also become a process of problem-solving on a case by case basis, in which I must push and pull with the medium in order to result in a fulfilling, and conclusive piece.  These processes will naturally mimic the daily push and pull of my eternal internal struggle with tremendous bouts of depression, anxiety, mania, and suicidal thoughts, just by being the physical output of my creativity.  Some techniques are more suitable to express certain frames of mind than others.  The physicality of say, creating woodcut prints does not only take skill, but also physical strength.  This provides relief for a scattered mind.  This is becoming the case for each of the printmaking techniques; that one will more suitably present itself at the time of decision than any other.

  My most recent body of work, which has spanned the last two years, focuses on self-portraiture.  I experiment with layering, mark-making,  and color as a means of explaining my conditions.  I try to create a dynamic print that may speak subtly to insecurities, frustrations, or even happiness with a genuine and honest voice.