"S.O.S., Casco Bay" Painting

My recent work reflects the influence of my relocation from Washington, D.C. to rural Maine. These painted collages integrate watercolor, colored pencil, gouache, and graphite with found materials—often including U.S. Geological Survey maps of Maine locations. Many pieces extend beyond the picture plane, incorporating cutout elements that project from the surface and invite closer viewing. My imagery is drawn from a wide range of sources: collected objects, word lists, fragments gathered from other artists’ works, and drawings made during my travels. My experiences abroad—particularly in Japan, where I worked as a Fulbright teacher, and in South Korea—continue to inform my practice. Textiles, patterned papers, and visual motifs gathered during these travels are embedded throughout the work. I am influenced by Surrealist artists such as Joseph Cornell and Frida Kahlo, as well as a range of contemporary practitioners. Their approaches to assemblage, symbolism, and personal narrative resonate with my own exploration of memory, place, and material. I studied at several universities, earning an M.F.A. in Painting and Drawing from Virginia Commonwealth University.