Thesis Statement

Coping with life is part of our existence as humans. This is an emotional process, affecting each individual differently. In many ways, it can be described as an elaborate act, a play of sorts; in others, a survival tactic that maintains order and control. I believe both instances of these methods of coping can have positive outcomes. The majority of my creative ideas were influenced through fairytales, fantasy video games, and a variety of fantastical stories. As a student of art on the college level, I took these stories and creatures into my work with influences from Art Nouveau. Fairies, mermaids, and realms were the subjects of several early series of paintings. I have found the work of Connecticut based artist Michael Shapcott to be profoundly influential to my art making over the years. Though my techniques and executions are far different from his, I am drawn to the basis of his work that is grounded in the deeper aspects of human emotion and implied collective narratives from myth and folklore. I find the work of painters such as Bruce Riley Alyssa Monks to be greatly influential especially in my recent body of work. Finding ways to combine both abstraction and a “natural ” representation of the human figure are explored in Monks ’ paintings. Riley’s use of epoxy resin to creat