Artist Statement

We are all alike in the way that we are human. We are sometimes alike in the places we live or attend. We are unique in our surroundings; we are the only ones who can be ourselves. Our surroundings change us and shape us into who we are, who we are to become. In a way our surroundings are like a pot and we are like the plant whose roots grow into the soil within it. But who we are is not restricted to who we become according to our surroundings. We have the ability to take what we see into consideration and grow on that or make a change.
Just as everyone watches and sees those around them, they not only watch their actions but their fruits too -- their art. I believe that with this in mind we should not create things with a quick hand, because then the pieces could be taken to be whatever the viewer pleases. We should use our minds so that when a piece is viewed that it is not the viewer's mind who creates it but ours -- because they perceive differently from us.
I want to make a difference in my viewer's minds; I want to change them. I want my piece -- my art -- to pull on the very threads that reach their hearts and minds and that tie them together. Just as they have grown from a different pot, so have I. My roots are planted in my happiness and strength, in true love and fidelity, and in the hope and freedom I have gained to have this. We cannot hope to convey or recreate things perfectly but we can try. I want people to view my feelings and I want them to absorb them into their leaves -- their minds -- as if it were the sun and take them down to their roots. Because I want to share my feelings with them.

Written on paper on 11/29/10