My Portfolio
pucker up
9x12, acrylic on canvas paper | This is one of the few paintings I have done. I snapped a couple photos of citrus fruits because the light was captured best in the meat of the fruit. In my attempt to get the right shot, I was met with a squeeze of lemon juice in the eye.
the martyr
24x19, charcoal on newsprint | This drawing is inspired by the Greek and Roman heroes of ancient mythology. Often times, we see them depicted in lavish paintings as they breathe their final breath and prepare to be martyred for their cause and culture. This is another one of those men, showing the beauty in death. The light around his hair is almost like a halo, foreshadowing what's to come.
content
24x19, graphite on newsprint | This drawing is of a live model I had the opportunity to observe while in a drawing class. I had a seat to her left so I was able to catch her full face as she stared at the floor with a content smile. The leg under her was quite difficult to get right, but when finished, I feel that I brought her to life.
rebirth
24x19, charcoal on drawing paper | For this drawing, I wanted to challenge myself with a more contorted figure and my professor suggested including feet as that was something I had not done yet in the class. The subject's pose resembles the fetal position, as I had been discussing with peers about how this is the position we are in in the womb, yet we continue to regress back to it throughout our lives in times of pain, sorrow, or comfort. We can never escape our origins. The black background is stark and choppy, seemingly swallowing the subject. This was my attempt to show the darkness of a womb and the isolation you feel in this position as an adult.
skull
24x19, charcoal on newsprint | This drawing was created from an original drawing of a skull. We were not allowed to erase the skull and were only tasked with creating a face from it. The process of adding skin on bone constantly reminded me that everyone looks the same underneath in the end.
pike's peak
This photo was taken on a film camera, developed, scanned, and then edited in Adobe Photoshop. It was taken halfway up Pike's Peak in Colorado. This Colorado trip was gifted as a graduation present from my family and was my first trip to the midwest. I will never forget the scenery of Colorado and I remember being amazed by how beautiful every part of this state was. Even the supermarket had gorgeous mountains behind it. In Photoshop, I cleaned up the dust and scratches on the negative and corrected the color and tone as a part of my Digital Imaging class.
forever
This photo was taken on a film camera, developed, scanned, and then edited in Adobe Photoshop. This was another capture from my Colorado trip. I found this scene on a fence overlooking a steep gorge. It was the only thing on the fence and I was curious as to what events led to the lock and flowers being put there. The lock was clearly old and rusted and initials had been scratched into the front, but had faded over time. I could only think of this as either an act of love or an act of mourning. Either way, the lock has stood the test of time and I hope the people involved have also.
from death, life
9x12, inked linoleum on printmaking paper. This linocut piece was inspired by an episode of the HBO series, "Hannibal" in which a killer buries his victims and feeds the dirt around them in order to produce mushrooms. It's a morbid concept, but I frequently enjoy irony. In this, I see the irony in new life, the mushrooms, from death.
hello stranger
9x12, inked linoleum block on printmaking paper. This piece was solely from my imagination and inspired by the small and tightly packed apartments of Japan. I added several details to create a story within the piece, including two strangers admiring each other from across the small gap. I simply wanted to represent everyday life and lifelong choices made in the cycle.
cage
This photo was taken with a DSLR camera and is unedited. This is a part of a series of self portraits I took over a period of four weeks. Each week represented an emotion and every shot included my hands. In each week, there are parallels to previous photos from different emotion. This photo is from the first week, representing depression and dissociation. This pose shows how it feels to be in this mindset and feel out of your own skin. Your own touch feels numb and empty.
cradle
This photo was taken with a DSLR camera and is unedited. This is the parallel I mentioned in the previous photo. This portrait is from the fourth and final week, representing self love and contentment. The pose is similar to the previous image, but the hands are softer and the face is relaxed, almost appearing to be sleeping. The pose is also reflected and I wanted to show the feeling of comfort in one's self. The two photos are titled "cage" and "cradle", the final parallel and opposite of the portraits.
territorial
This photo was taken with a DSLR camera and is unedited. This was taken at a nearby lake to my house. My goal was to capture light, but I ended up capturing movement well too. This particular goose was having quite the tantrum when another goose attempted to pass by, causing a ruckus and sending perfect ripples from it's motion. The lake blends into a grey stillness towards the top of the photo and frames the angry goose beautifully.
clouded
This photo was taken on a DSLR camera and was edited in Adobe Photoshop. It won a gold key in the 2021 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and it is meant to show that no matter how relaxed someone may look on the outside, there is always something clouding their brain. Everyone struggles with something.
daydream
This photo was taken on a DSLR camera and was edited in Adobe Photoshop. When reviewing these photos after taking them, I was feeling experimental and had some fun. The colors of her sweater inspired me to change the hue. I also added in some free-use bubbles to match the color scheme. What came of this was a dreamy and fantastical sight.
