I have always been interested in the way people in today’s fast-paced, high-tech culture perceive (or fail to perceive) their environment, with specific regard to nature and animals. In other words, my paintings attempt to pose the question: To what extent have we become physically, morally, and emotionally removed from our natural environments? Is our day-to-day experience with nature perceived or real? Also, how much of this separation is the effect of our obsession with technology?
To examine these ideas in my newer work, (the series involving painted dots on photographs), I chose to synthesize a traditional medium of artistic expression (oil paint) with a technique that mimics the more modern pixelized images we see everyday on the internet and other media. I started by photographing a landscape with a digital camera. Then, I hand-pixelated an animal that I felt fit the scene, either realistically or ironically. I wanted each piece to tell its own individual story.
In all of my work, I am interested in bringing to light the ever-increasing disparities between the limited scope of our understanding of and experience with nature, (partly due to the replacement of the digital experience for what is real), and the enormity and timelessness of the natural world that goes unnoticed. My paintings serve as a reminder of human ignorance and neglect, an invitation to look deeper, and a challenge to question and examine your own perceptions.
Education
BFA Purchase College of Art and Design
SUNY
1998-2000
Keene State College
1997-1998
College of Saint Rose
1995-1997
Solo Exhibitions
Don’t Feed The Animals,
Lawrence Asher Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
March 2008
Have You Seen Me?
The Jazz Bakery
Los Angeles, CA
Spring 2007
A Closer Look
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Los Angeles, CA
Winter 2004-5
Super Natural
The Jazz Bakery
Los Angeles, CA
May 2004
New Paintings
Gallery 825
Los Angeles, CA
February 2003
Eco Art
The Echo Station
Los Angeles, CA
May 2002
Endangered Species
The Jazz Bakery
Los Angeles, CA
Jan-April 2002
Group Exhibitions
Summer Survey
Lawrence Asher Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
Summer 2006
GEM
Gallery 825/LAAA
Los Angeles, CA
May 2006
American Artists and Their Tour of Korea
Insa Art Center, Gallery Ann
Seoul, Korea
Feb-March 2006
Bugology
Armory Center for the Arts
Pasadena, CA
Spring 2006
Petite Works
Gallery 825 Annex
Bergamot Station
Santa Monica, CA
November 2005
The F Stops Here
Gallery 825/LAAA
Los Angeles, CA
November 2005
50/50 Show
Gallery 825/LAAA
Los Angeles, CA
May 2005
Open show 2005
Gallery 825/LAAA
Los Angeles, CA
Juror: James Elaine
December-January 2005
Bug-Eyed: Art, Culture, Insects
Turtle Bay Exploration Park
Redding, CA
August 2004
Hollywood Bowl Sphere Project
Track 16 Gallery
Santa Monica, CA
June 2004
Fresh Coat
Black Dragon Society
LA Chinatown, CA
October 2003
Brush
The Office
Huntington Beach, CA
September 2003
LA Metro: Artists from Gallery 825
University Gallery of Clarion University, PA
September 2003
50/50 Show
Gallery 825/LAAA
Los Angeles, CA
May 2003
Wallworks
Artcore Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
May 2003
Juried Exhibition 2003
Patricia Correia Gallery
Santa Monica, CA
January 2003
Soul Revival
Gallery 825/LAAA
Los Angeles, CA
November 2002
Pacifically Designed
Gallery 825/LAAA
Los Angeles, CA
August 2002
Latch Out
The Latch Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
June 2002
Awards and Achievements
Member 825 Gallery/LAAA
Los Angeles, CA
2002
People’s Choice Award 1st Prize
Art on Lark
Albany, NY
1999
Collections
Marcos Torno. Old Greenwich, Connecticut
Daniel Carraher. Clinton, MA
Meghan Hughes. Albany, NY
Joannie Besser. Los Angeles, CA
Michele Saee. Los Angeles, CA
Joseph A Thomas. Clarion, PA