As a greater artistic theme, I’m exploring value & memory. I am deeply intrigued by the emotional narratives embedded within objects and the psychology that drives our compulsion to collect them. Who decides the value of an object and how much is the value tied to emotion? Is it based on reality, fantasy, or memory?

The vintage vases and figurines I collect to paint are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. I began playing with scale, painting on canvas five to ten feet tall, juxtaposing these elements, and placing the viewer eye to eye with the object. Sometimes, my vases hold specifically curated flowers painted as a straightforward still life, and sometimes, I place them in fantastical landscapes, inviting a conversation about time and the nature of perception.

As an artist, my livelihood relies on collectors, so I’m deeply curious about the hierarchy of assigned, or imagined, value and power that is given to the object. Collectors, myself included, assign these properties to the objects and artists we pursue because the objects and artworks provide joy, beauty, and relief while facilitating an escape into a magical world of our own design.