"Soma" Painting

I was born on May 14, 1992 in Everett, Washington. I soon after moved to Connecticut, and eventually Boston for college. There, I studied illustration and focused in watercolors. I believe that this era, the early 21st century, is the most important age in the development of civilization. It is, in and of itself, an age of paradoxical technological advancements, borne to bring us together, a facade of connectedness. My work is inspired by the undeniable beauty of our advancements, and also by their counter applications. This is the only age that anyone can have access to the majority of collected knowledge in the palm of their hand or be able to connect with anyone at the touch of a button, and it is crashing headlong into the analog days of the 20th century. Advancements in culture and technology serve to create synthetic realities, ones much more enjoyable than our own. It is easier to watch hours of videos than it is to look out the window and see the beauty in falling snow. It is easier to absorb the creative content of others, to engage with a one way mirror, than it is to take it into ourselves and spit whatever comes out onto a blank sheet, or to toss around ideas with friends, family, and strangers. My watercolors explore the dichotomy between these worlds and the momentary access we have as dual citizens.