My art explores how placing objects in atypical contexts allows them to take on new meaning. Through the close observation required of still life, an object’s depiction becomes more than the object itself--it becomes inseparable from its context. Objects are defined by their physical environment; their appearance uniquely transformed by lighting, angles, and what fills the space around them. All of these elements are part of the composition and relate to each other as such. 

There are two kinds of items depicted in my artworks: natural and manufactured. The two often contrast each other in color and texture, which are significant elements in my compositions and artworks. Even in the artworks that feature only natural objects, there are inescapable elements of artificiality that reflect my personal life (living in an urban setting). 

My conceptual investigation began with compositions that were larger and complex, incorporating multiple objects and exploring the effects of dramatic shadows and reflections in artificial objects. In my first two works, ‘Reflections’ and ‘Paper Flowers’,  I mainly used manufactured objects with smooth textures and bright colors. I alluded to elements of nature using representations of flowers, but not real ones. 

This changes in ‘Splitting Image’, where natural and artificial elements truly begin to interact. The color palette is much more limited than the works before it, with earthy browns and metallic gold being the two prominent colors. The colors and textures of the cork and pine cone contrast those of the earrings and the mirror’s gold frame. This contrast was achieved partly through the materials I used, incorporating both tea-stained paper and gold mylar into the artwork. 

My photomontage series, ‘Fantastic’, continues to juxtapose manufactured and natural features by highlighting the separation between urban life and nature. The series reflects my personal experience trying to unify the two concepts in my art and in my life, as my perception of nature is contextualized and limited by life in a city. ‘Fantastic’ also marks a transition to artworks of a smaller scale, in both size and concept. Smaller objects are incorporated into my compositions, some the size of a hairpin or charms. 

In the series ‘Charming’, entire compositions are in miniature, able to fit in a hand. The still lifes remain detailed and the perspective shifts closer, creating an intimacy not found in earlier pieces of the exhibition. The audience may perceive a sense of personal value or significance to the trinkets so carefully rendered and arranged. 

‘Stand Tall’ maintains the intimacy between the audience and subject of the artwork, but its composition features a single object. The parts of the composition to be balanced become the parts of the flower sculpture themselves. The sculpture represents an appreciation for nature through its close representation and imitation of a real flower, despite its artificiality. 

The last entries in my exhibition, ‘Looking for Light’ and ‘Past the Prime’, individual flowers from a bouquet are singled out and captured from up close. Each flower is under distinct circumstances; its appearance uniquely altered by age and the expressive, artificial environments they have been placed in (using dramatic lighting + angles and simple backgrounds). The intimate perspective allows the audience to admire each wrinkled petal and bend of a stigma, each made special by the flower’s particular context.