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As an artist, spending time in nature and wild spaces is an essential element of my being. It inspires and restores my creative practice and life. My work is a response to the sociopolitical climate and the influence that policy decisions have on the environment and the many species living within it. To put it simply, it is a response to the impact of the human-constructed world (be it a social construct or a physical construct) on the natural world. 

 

Drawing on my interactions with nature, my observations, and involvement in politics and activism, I have undertaken a granular exploration of deeply concerning social and environmental trends using two different approaches: subtle and beautiful, or jarring and unsettling. I create digital images, animations, and accompanying music. These pieces play with color, scale, disassociated objects, metaphor, humor, political commentary, and symbolism.

 

My recent work focuses on Nebraska species for which I have a deep appreciation, and which may be reviled, like the common garter snake, or overlooked, like the hen pheasant with her unremarkable plumage.. Deliberate choices in the subjects and the way they are depicted allude to prejudices and sexism. By partially obscuring the subject, pushing it to the background, or exaggerating its scale and color, these concepts may be subtle, but intended to cause reflection and sometimes discomfort. The subjects may also represent broader concerns for climate change and environmental collapse, as species such as frogs, which serve as a bellwether for ecological decline, or those that proliferate in decay, such as fungi, are featured in my work.

 

 I see my work as a catalyst for a deeper conversation about the preservation of democracy and social and environmental justice. I intend that the viewer reflect on the impact of the structures, ideas, and institutions that humanity has created and inspire them to support efforts to preserve the environment and systems that sustain us.