My practice primarily consists of creating wonky and whimsical ceramic-centered assemblage sculptures and vessels. These works depict personal visual experiences combined with symbolic pop culture objects. Through my work I examine where I have and have not found solace in the past in order to understand how I navigate alternating feelings of hopelessness and joy from mundane moments. While much of my work is inspired by my own feelings of mediocrity and the underlying structures that shape feelings of pointlessness like class, social consciousness, and inequality, I explore these concepts in a lighthearted way. 

Ceramics is the conceptual and physical backbone of my practice. I have worked with clay since I was a child, and I consider my previous ceramic works a record of permanent objects that encapsulate fleeting feelings and moments of time. I emphasize tactility and incorporate implied and physical textures so that my sculptures seem to crave touch while leaving a visceral impression. I handbuild works in clay and begin adding color and texture with slips and glazes. After firing the works, surfaces are loaded with various materials and embellishments to form layered narratives. I incorporate craft based materials like sewn and woven elements along with the cheap, unserious stuff found at hobby chain stores. I play with the history of craft in America being tied to moral value and contradictory ideas about contemporary capitalism and monetary value.

I want my work to create opportunities for others to feel connected to one another in a disconnected world. I consider my work almost funny, as it tends to produce a chuckle or smirk from viewers that signals recognition and surprise. I think there is cammadere in finding a sense of humor in a simple form or garish color palette. I’m interested in the idea of levity and its potential to spark a viewer’s sense of wonder and affirm personal worth. The humor in my work can sometimes be self-deprecating, but ultimately I think the ability to laugh with things gives people a sense of understanding, power, and control.