statement

The sense of the duality between the psyche and the body is at the core of my work.  I am exploring the corruptibility and vulnerability of the body, which lie in its fragile susceptibility to decay and its ability to seem weak.  But I am also interested in the resilience of the body; the empowering aspects of this, our vessel, for engagement with the material world.  The amazing abilities for capability, rejuvenation, growth, adaption and change are key characteristics of the living body and its psyche that put it in a place far beyond the most advanced technology or machinery.

The human experience exists within the confines of its body, and so often our experiences are heavily weighted by how well our bodies function, or how much they falter.  I choose to portray the body within this structure at least partly from a humanistic perspective, as it is something we all share and have our own unique experiences with.  

I feel it is important for accurate portrayal of anatomy in these studies, to help give concrete foundations to the visual materiality and firm existence of the body within the duality I work from.  The body is, after all, composed of the same elements that are found throughout the universe, so my drawings are further representative of the body through the carbonized scratchings of burnt wood, dragged across the surface of compressed fibers; creating marks and a hand-made image of humanity.

Charcoal is malleable, changeable and direct.  It creates nothing more than marks and tone, which do not always appear to be solid or stable.  The imagery it creates of the body mimics the temporal nature of the body itself, and its potential for failure, change and repair.  The ephemeral nature of charcoal also speaks to the delicate bond between the human psyche and its vehicle.  "Modern figure drawing in its broadest sense cannot be abstracted from the complex and fissured processes by which modern individuals vest their individual corporeal experience with meanings and identity." (Mirzoeff 33).

Interdependence, as represented here, recreates about a 7 foot section of a 27-foot drawing, made over three months on a continuous roll of paper, using live models, gesso, charcoal, and rust washes.

bio

born: United States

education

Kendall College of Art and Design, MFA, 2011
Eastern Michigan University, BFA, 2009

selected awards/honors

Third Place, Au Naturel- The Nude in the 21st Century, International Juried Exhibition.  Clatsop Community College, Astoria, Oregon, 2014
Second Place, Naked in Pittsburgh, National Juried Exhibition.  Red Door Space Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 2012
First Place, 5th Annual Naturally Nude, National Juried Exhibition.  Ciao Gallery, Jackson, Wyoming, 2012
First Place, Simply Drawn, National Juried Exhibition.  Atlanta Fine Arts League, Roswell, Georgia, 2010

selected publications

International Drawing Annual 9, Manifest Creative Research and Drawing Center.
Code D, Manifest v70 Exhibition Catalog, International Juried Exhibition of New and Emerging Media.  Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2013
5th Annual Nude, Manifest v74 Exhibition Catalog, International Juried Exhibition. Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2013
Drawing Discourse, 3rd Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Drawing, University of North Carolina at Asheville.  Pp. 13, 14. 2012

selected solo or two-person exhibits

Figure Drawings. Solo Exhibition. Dogwood Center for the Performing Arts, Fremont, Michigan, 2012
The Body Abstracted. Solo Exhibition. Gallery 114, Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2011
The Figure by Hand. Solo Exhibition. DaVinci's Gallery Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2010
Illusions of Form. Solo Exhibition. Eastern Michigan University, IGG Gallery Ypsilanti, Michigan

selected group shows

The Kinsey Institute Juried Art Show 2014, International Juried Exhibition. Betsy Stiratt, Catherine Johnson-Roehr, Jeremy Sweet, Garry Milius, Jurors.  Grunwald Gallery of Art, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, 2014
Au Naturel- The Nude in the 21st Century, International Juried Exhibition. Charles Froelick, Juror.  Art Center Gallery, Clatsop Community College, Astoria, Oregon, 2014
Code D, International Juried Exhibition of New and Emerging Media. Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center, Cincinnati, Ohio,  2013
5th Annual Nude, International Juried Exhibition. Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2013