Artist Statement:
My imagination has been nourished by the liturgy, iconography, and teachings of my Catholic faith. In effect, my life and my artwork tend to function somewhere between contemplative and confrontational. By using mixed media, including fiber art and printmaking methods, I invite audiences to explore themes of spiritual mystery and the shared conditions of our common humanity. The goal of my work is to challenge notions of religious art that have left many feeling excluded or underrepresented within the span of Christian iconography, particularly communities I engage with in my social practice at family resource centers in Manhattan. By expressing my spirituality within a definite physical space I aim to create visual representations which act as a call to personal prayer– when the viewer is engaged the works are activated as sacred objects, or vessels, holding an inner life of their own.
Some thoughts on figure drawing:
When we draw the human figure, we learn something from the human form. We gain an understanding, or appreciation, or a form of empathy when we try to record the gestures, movements, subtleties, the weight of the living person in front of us (physical, emotional, psychological weight). We are viewing the person as exactly that- a person. A person created with dignity, beauty, uniqueness, and flaws that are worth recording and capturing in a drawing- without sentimentality, without crude or twisted intent; only the intention to encounter the human person through mark-making, through research. Every mark you make on a page is a risk, and a chance to relate or grow in compassion for the person in front of you.