"Perilla" Painting

Each of my paintings is a dense collection of layered missteps guided by a single underlying intention. They are semi-realistic interpretations of an imagined environment, employing realism and abstraction to give the impression of a scene on the verge of collapse. The photographic source material I use serves as both a jumping-off point and something to fight against. I try to glean from the source only that which resonates with me and dispose of the rest so as to avoid photorealistic depiction. The ideal result is a reimagining of what is observed, anchored by recurring themes of nostalgia, my own existential anxieties, and the corruption of human memory. I view the painting process as a form of self-examination, with the end product’s value lying in the thoughts, emotions, and memories that I’ve infused with the original source.