Bio
I moved to Montana in August of 2010 and hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND. My previous work focused on the prairie, but since moving to Bozeman, I have been inspired by the mountains that surround us. I find inspiration and take most of my source photos while hiking, skiing or snowboarding. Since living in Colorado for a summer interning for the US Olympic Committee for public relations, and living in Vermont for a month in 2009 during an artist’s residency at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont, I have been fascinated by the mountains, which is one of the reasons I came to Montana. I am also a yoga instructor, so I am interested in the meditative experience, especially when found in the outdoors.
Artist Statement
I am concerned with creating an awareness of the environment by calling attention to the ways in which humans either protect or eviscerate the landscape. Most of the paintings depict sweeping mountain vistas. We are drawn to the mountains by more than an admiration for their scenic views. Mountains assume a spiritual meaning in many cultures, because they are higher, therefore closer to nature and the gods. While in Western culture we may not think of mountains in this way, we still gravitate towards them for some reason, perhaps they make us feel calmer, more connected to the earth.
While the mountains are depicted in a realistic way, the abstract elements are meant to affect the viewer in a visceral sense, rather than cognitive. Vibrant, contrasting hues are floating on the surface, melting together, and creating structural elements within the composition. Bright swathes of paint imply a chemical or artificial presence that invades or breaches the barrier of the landscape.