Artist Statement:

Growing up, my mom had a set of Matryoshkas, or Russian Nesting Dolls, on her dresser. I loved how cozily they fit inside each other and how the forms felt in my hands. The littlest doll was my favorite, painted one color with a simple bud on her belly--unchanged by the outside world, solid and without fear.

As a young girl, my art was without fear: I enjoyed it, so I did it. However, as a teenager, truths I wasn’t ready to see started showing up in my art. Everything I made resurrected trauma I didn’t want to remember or current circumstances I didn’t want to acknowledge. My solution to this fear was to stop making art.

After unsuccessfully seeking alternative realities in many forms, I visited my hometown and found the Matryoshkas on that dresser of my childhood.  They reminded me why I want to create—to look beyond the exterior, find truth, and connect with others. So I began using the shape of the dolls to ground me in my art.

I use acrylic, Conte crayon, and oil in my practice--creating nesting doll shapes, human figures, and abstractions. Often I create with layers of emotions, experiences, and intentions that form a narrative that comes together in the process or long after it’s finished. This art practice continues to help me in my recovery from addiction, sexual trauma, and treatment of my bipolar I disorder. 

My art uncovers and heals my internal realities and I want to share that process with the community as well.