Artist Statement
I have always thought of making art as a tool to communicate and connect with people.The strange, creative happenings in my head are able to find a home in my art. It is for this reason that I love sharing what I create with others. It is because I am sharing a piece of myself with the world, and it is through this that I am seen.
I create animations through a process that I call Handprinted Movies, where I hand carve the images from rubber, creating a stamp, which I use to make prints on paper with ink. I then cut out each piece and move them by hand, photographing each shot to create a stop motion film. One minute of animation is composed of hundreds of photographs. I view my films as a kind of visual language and the elements and techniques I have are my tools. In sequencing my animations, each piece flows into the next as a visual representation of events in a narrative timeline. I employ symbols, color, movement, sequencing and transitions as methods of storytelling.
In addition to my animations, I also create original linocut prints for exhibition and document film stills from my work for display.
I am a big proponent of D.I.Y aesthetic and technique. My work wouldn’t exist without it. Since everything is done by hand, there is an imperfection to what I make that becomes a part of it. I believe that invention can arise out of limitations and I enjoy finding ways through working with what is in front of and available to me as it often challenges me to forge paths I might not otherwise have considered.
My animations express a range of ideas, from very personal experiences exploring grief, loss and trauma to playful absurdism with fantastical creations. In the process of making and bringing my work to life I find transformation, as stories take on a new form through a visual language. I believe there is power and healing in re-framing experiences through art. I invite the viewer into an escape from the ordinary and to find their own interpretations when viewing my work.