I am a Charleston-based artist whose practice includes representational painting & mural-making. One of my chief concerns is human grief and how, like the drifting pilots depicted in many of my works, it can leave us feeling emotionally disoriented and suspended in reality. The image of the aviator shell is a reoccurring symbol, depicting humanity. Our consciousness navigates our bodies through this experience thus making us all pilots. This symbol is also deeply personal to me, representing my Navy pilot Father who was KIA when I was 11 months old.

These paintings are created with charcoal, acrylic, latex and aerosol paint. I use these materials to build up layers, resulting in an atmosphere that feels thick and tangible. Through this deliberate process, I can push and pull the material values to make the figures recede while letting some of the details come forward.  The use of powerful light boldly contrasts the figures from the depths of their surroundings, celebrating the possibilities of breaking old cycles while creating new, positive paths.  Interwoven into these scenes are paper airplanes that nod to childhood innocence and playful dreams. Standing in stark contrast to the tactical flight equipment shown in these images, these paper airplanes are at once naïve and imaginative.

Through this art I hope to encourage our society to engage with grief in positive ways. It is a human experience and part of a thread that connects us all.