Artist Statement

I subscribe to the idea of “choosing both” when defining complexity: color, identity, and experience. I choose pink and blue, Russian and American, realism and abstraction. I have always struggled with labels, and my work embraces the contradictions and multiplicities that make up who I am. I honor differences and reject limitations in both life and art.

Through my practice, I explore the duality of being, the totality behind perception, and the power of rest, creating art that is both personal and universally resonant.

At the heart of my work is layered experimentation. I am a painter and illustrator who learned printmaking along the way, and have most recently been exploring cyanotype prints, collaging them, and painting over them. This process allows me to combine mediums in innovative ways, reflecting my own natural inclination to exist in multiple modalities at once. My compositions often feature the sleeping figure, framing rest as an act of radical self-care and reclamation. I also depict whimsical animals, landscapes, and mythical figures, drawing inspiration from dreams, cultural folklore, and the balance between the real and imagined.

Materials are part of the conceptual framework of my work. The use of cyanotype, recycled papers, and layered surfaces reinforces themes of longevity and impermanence, stillness and transformation, sweet memories and the bitterness of fading ones. Each piece is guided by concept first, allowing the material to serve the idea rather than dictate it.

Beyond studio practice, I am committed to community and education. I have created public murals, exhibited in solo and group shows, been published in art journals, and taught art classes to students of all ages. For me, creativity is not only a personal practice but also a tool for connection, empowerment, and joy.