Everything's Alive

When I was little I remember believing that rocks and trees were alive in the same way I was, that we were all connected. At that age, everything in nature felt as much a part of my family as my older brother and sister. I didn’t know it at the time, and there were great chunks when I forgot all together, but that connection with nature and my place in it has been a steady comfort.

Before I started painting figures, I was painting chairs and detailed portraits. Like when I was young, I imagined what stories the chairs could tell about all the people who plopped down for support. I pictured everyone's individual energy seeping into the wood or fabric like a patina. The idea that we all have our own energetic signature, one that can impact others (for better or worse) as we move through the world, intrigues me. Visually, I see this as gaining and losing bits and pieces of ourselves. We change and grow over the years, adding and discarding parts of ourselves, always seeking how to be better.