Artist Statement:
We see the world through the lens of history, narrative, and personal values. A simple object can have massive spiritual and symbolic meaning depending on our cultural memories. My Amish Mennonite background places massive emphasis on tradition and the shared history of the community, in addition to the unseen spiritual nature of the world. Many ancient cultures believed the ancestors to be as much a part of the community as the living, participating in their day-to-day lives. These narratives and shared memories are part of what it is to be human. They manifest significance in objects, places and experiences that would otherwise be viewed as mundane or inconsequential. Without history, Rome is a pile of stones.
This also mirrors human existence on an individual level. We encounter the everyday and the routine against our infinite depth of consciousness and memory. We are bound to the material, while holding within ourselves something that exists beyond time and space. This causes conflict and leaves us questioning our place in the world. It also forces us to assign meaning to the places and objects we encounter throughout our lives.
I enjoy finding the middle ground between tradition and present reality, between memory and potential. Representational art represents a clearly defined set of rules and formula. There is fulfilment both in disciplining oneself to follow the rules and finding interesting ways to break them. Traditional methods and materials come with their own set of standards and traditions. My choice in medium acknowledges this history. Additionally, I seek to combine these materials in nontraditional ways. This involves experimenting both with the linear qualities of pen and ink and the depth and color of oil paint.
My ultimate goal is to make the traditional relevant in a contemporary context, to represent the spiritual while depicting the material.