I grew up surrounded by the sand and sea in all its untamed glory, yet I have always yearned for highly manicured gardens, terrariums, aquariums, those conquests of nature. It is this dichotomy between wanting both the untouched pristine landscape and the contrived and controlled landscape that influences my work.

     The way in which people have attempted to quantify, control, and manipulate nature throughout history fascinates me and disturbs me. Discoveries of flora and fauna, the effect of colonization on eco-systems, and the impact of our industrial revolutions on how we see and interact with nature are primary subjects explored in my work. I struggle to understand our duplicitous human desire for wild environments and the urge to create and control environments of our own making.

     The prevalence of natural forms in the decorative arts of the 19th century runs parallel to our contemporary culture’s need for constant reminders of nature. It is this need that drives my work - I paint what I desire to become a part of my visual world. Instead of candidly representing nature through realistic renderings of honest observation, I seek to create unlikely visual scenarios. Through the manipulation of line, color, and form, I am allowed to shamelessly control and possess my visual requisites.