Art making is my form of gardening — a space to experience awe, to slow down, and to heal, by tending to and building awareness of my inner and outer worlds. My colorful, hyperrealistic paintings of large-scale flowers, or florascapes, explore themes of femininity, physicality, sexuality, and spirituality, that evolve and grow based on my experiences as a Highly Sensitive queer woman. I am interested in reinventing limited preconceptions of flowers and femininity by portraying plants as living, breathing agents with power and resilience — breaking down the man-made constructs of the canvas and growing out from beneath the permeable surface. Instead of being depicted as passive victims or objects of the male gaze, my larger-than-life flowers have limitless physicality, queer individuality, and cosmic connectivity. The operatic plants appear to both recede into a vast, otherworldly place and emerge into our physical realm — forming a boundary-less space of exploration and contemplation. Similarly, I am endlessly exploring the surfaces, depths, and desires of my psyche and surroundings. I travel through the world in pursuit of the sublime, searching for rare and unique plants (often with help from botanists and indigenous guides), and expanding my awareness of nature’s complexities and ecologies, from which I better understand my own existence. I document my research and firsthand observations through writing, sketches, and photography with the aim to portray and preserve the wonderous plants and landscapes I encounter, and my profound appreciation for nature. With florist Samuel Thomas I create floral dioramas (i.e. gardens) inspired by these natural environments, including both site-specific and imagined ecological elements, that are atmospherically lit and photographed for reference. From my extensive photo library, I digitally collage my images to mock up the paintings' compositions, only including plants from my surrounding environments, travels, and dioramas. I create new floral narratives by weaving together references and vignettes from my life, botany, literature, ecology, art history, and mythology — merging scientific observation and Romantic philosophy that reveals nature as a unified, interconnected system. With an emphasis on vibrant colors, varied textures, and atmospheric light, my work looks to the Baroque and Rococo, Pre-Raphaelite painting, Dutch floral still lifes, the Hudson River School, as well as the work of Georgia O’Keeffe and Victorian era painter Marianne North. I then create intimate botanical sketches and watercolors to consider how I will translate my digital compositions to oils — capturing the individual bodily characteristics of each plant. Finally, I slowly and methodically build up layers of paint on the canvas until I have created a space that appears to be both realistic and fantastic, or rather, a duchampian delay, focused on immersive feeling and sensory expansiveness. Throughout this process I strive to stay present — connecting to the life force that moves within myself, nature, and the painting — as both witness to and participant in its magic and revelations. The flowers are my guide and conduit for healing; they are my entryway to the unknown, the sensual, and the sacred, continually evolving and challenging the traditional notions used to define them.

Art making is my form of gardening — a space to experience awe, to slow down, and to heal, by tending to and building awareness of my inner and outer worlds. My colorful, hyperrealistic paintings of large-scale flowers, or florascapes, explore themes of femininity, physicality, sexuality, and spirituality, that evolve and grow based on my experiences as a Highly Sensitive queer woman. I am interested in reinventing limited preconceptions of flowers and femininity by portraying plants as living, breathing agents with power and resilience — breaking down the man-made constructs of the canvas and growing out from beneath the permeable surface. Instead of being depicted as passive victims or objects of the male gaze, my larger-than-life flowers have limitless physicality, queer individuality, and cosmic connectivity. The operatic plants appear to both recede into a vast, otherworldly place and emerge into our physical realm — forming a boundary-less space of exploration and contemplation. Similarly, I am endlessly exploring the surfaces, depths, and desires of my psyche and surroundings. I travel through the world in pursuit of the sublime, searching for rare and unique plants (often with help from botanists and indigenous guides), and expanding my awareness of nature’s complexities and ecologies, from which I better understand my own existence. I document my research and firsthand observations through writing, sketches, and photography with the aim to portray and preserve the wonderous plants and landscapes I encounter, and my profound appreciation for nature. With florist Samuel Thomas I create floral dioramas (i.e. gardens) inspired by these natural environments, including both site-specific and imagined ecological elements, that are atmospherically lit and photographed for reference. From my extensive photo library, I digitally collage my images to mock up the paintings' compositions, only including plants from my surrounding environments, travels, and dioramas. I create new floral narratives by weaving together references and vignettes from my life, botany, literature, ecology, art history, and mythology — merging scientific observation and Romantic philosophy that reveals nature as a unified, interconnected system. With an emphasis on vibrant colors, varied textures, and atmospheric light, my work looks to the Baroque and Rococo, Pre-Raphaelite painting, Dutch floral still lifes, the Hudson River School, as well as the work of Georgia O’Keeffe and Victorian era painter Marianne North. I then create intimate botanical sketches and watercolors to consider how I will translate my digital compositions to oils — capturing the individual bodily characteristics of each plant. Finally, I slowly and methodically build up layers of paint on the canvas until I have created a space that appears to be both realistic and fantastic, or rather, a duchampian delay, focused on immersive feeling and sensory expansiveness. Throughout this process I strive to stay present — connecting to the life force that moves within myself, nature, and the painting — as both witness to and participant in its magic and revelations. The flowers are my guide and conduit for healing; they are my entryway to the unknown, the sensual, and the sacred, continually evolving and challenging the traditional notions used to define them.