Statement

Half deflated balloons flanking the aisle of a grocery store produce sale, the mushy confetti stuck to the bottom of your shoes after a concert, crepe paper streamers leftover from the birthday party three weeks ago, that slowly droop inch by inch; my work celebrates the scraps of a joy that once was.

These forms of celebratory ephemera represent both the glamorous physical manifestation and the transient nature of moments of joy in our lives. Celebrations are marked by these loud objects full of color and shine, only to be quietly swept into the trash within the blink of an eye.

Through careful, meticulous rendering, I spend time with the memories marked by the ephemera I depict, milking them of every last ounce of excitement they can provide. Studying every detail of their material presence, I use drawing to etch these fleeting moments into existence forever. Tight and crisp upon first glance, with careful inspection, the surface of the material and subtle traces of my hand become clear; breaking down the slick illusion of the surface to reveal the evidence of human mediation.

In their colorful and glittering prime, the works draw you in with their innate charm of happy shiny things. But their more weighty, haphazard compositions elicit a sense of sadness, a melancholic nostalgia for the memories they represent. I aim to highlight the complicated relationship between smiling because it happened and crying because it's over; the struggle to recognize the greatest moments of joy while we are in them, and the desire to freeze them in time and hold onto them forever.