Artist Statement

-A small force applied consistently over time makes great change-

My work is an exploration of liberation—the slow, deliberate process of carving autonomy out of a history of repression. Growing up in the dogmatic religious environment of East Tennessee, my early life was defined by shared silence and the weight of unmet expectations. I first found sanctuary in the landscapes of Western North Carolina and the solitary independence of skateboarding and snowboarding—early physical outlets that mirrored my internal need for space and movement.

The evolution of my sculptural practice began as a visceral response to the "immobilization" I felt during early parenthood. Initially, I used bound coils of rope and twine to manifest the overwhelming weight of responsibility. These ordered, repetitive forms were a literal binding of my life and my art.

Since 2014, my process has shifted from containment to release. Through stacking, gluing, laminating, and carving, I engage in a physical dialogue with my materials, allowing myself the prerogative to subtract and rearrange until a form emerges. This labor-intensive evolution—honed through my time at RISD and a life built on self-reliance—serves as a mirror to my own journey. By liberating forms from dense materials, I reclaim control over my narrative, transforming feelings of being bound into a practice of discovery and change.