I research public and legal documents in the hopes of finding positive social agreements that support ideas of egalitarianism and empowerment. The imagery I paint expresses the emotions and ideas held within these various documents. I laser cut the document text into each painting, transforming the paper into an object made of words. By using two strongly contrasting techniques, handmade and machine made, the physical work reinforces the conceptual idea that sensory/emotive understanding is fundamentally connected with analytical logic. The final art pieces are objective and intuitive, mechanical and intimate.
My main objective is for people to question the social agreements they both voluntarily and unintentionally engage with in our society. At first, most viewers tend to respond to the emotion in the paintings. Upon closer view they start to see and read the text. By using text and emotional imagery I invite the viewer to take part in the conversation through whichever mode of communication they feel most comfortable. My hope is to promote dialogue and encourage empathy.