My current focus is an exploration of self-portraiture within the medium of charcoal on paper. Through this medium I engage the dramatic contradictions that make up the human animal, most notably the primal vs. the refined, the contained vs. the uncontained, and the perfect vs. the flawed. I explore these oppositions through diverse mark making that is loose and confined, basic and refined, and aggressive and controlled. Dramatic angles, high contrast, larger than life scale, as well as subjects that are stripped of social niceties in their actions and appearance (usually fat and hairy) provide insight into the tension, conflict, and challenges of the human condition.

born: 1978, Kenosha, WI

education

Clemson University, MFA, Projected Graduation Date Fall 2009
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, BFA, 2002

selected awards/honors

John Acorn Award in Graduate Studio Art, Clemson University, 2009
Departmental Honors, UW Milwaukee, 2002

selected group shows

Lee Gallery: Celebrating the Visual Arts, Clemson, SC, 2009
CAE Gallery: Role Call, Macon, GA, 2008
Lee Gallery: Celebrating the Visual Arts, Clemson, SC, 2008
The Rave: 4 Bands, 2 Filmmakers, 1 Psychological study, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2006