Watercolor on cotton paper with wax varnish 8x11. The first painting created after returning home after a year of displacement following Hurricane Milton, “Eye of the storm” reflects the calm and vulnerability of the storm’s center. The torn Monstera leaf acts as shelter, the eye as witness. This piece explores resilience and the uneasy clarity that emerges in moments when everything familiar is disrupted. Exploring the natural systems that protect, overwhelm, and ultimately sustain us.
CAUSE: Environmental resilience and climate disaster recovery in Florida communities Keep Pinellas Beautiful
ARTIST STATEMENT: My work is rooted in observation, atmosphere, and the emotional qualities of place. Working primarily in watercolor and ink, I explore landscapes, botanical forms, wildlife, and portraiture through heightened color and subtle abstraction. Rather than aiming for strict realism, I use color, texture, and composition to translate how a subject feels rather than how it appears. I often work from photographic reference and direct study, allowing intuition to guide the painting process as layers build and forms shift. This approach creates space for ambiguity. Where environments feel familiar yet slightly altered, and figures, when present, feel embedded within their surroundings rather than separate from them. Across subjects, I’m interested in attention and presence: the quiet intensity of looking closely at a face, a plant, or a stretch of water. My recent work has begun to explore how environments can hold emotional memory, but even in simpler studies, my focus remains on mood, light, and the relationship between natural form and perception.
Watercolor on cotton paper with wax varnish 8x11. The first painting created after returning home after a year of displacement following Hurricane Milton, “Eye of the storm” reflects the calm and vulnerability of the storm’s center. The torn Monstera leaf acts as shelter, the eye as witness. This piece explores resilience and the uneasy clarity that emerges in moments when everything familiar is disrupted. Exploring the natural systems that protect, overwhelm, and ultimately sustain us.
CAUSE: Environmental resilience and climate disaster recovery in Florida communities Keep Pinellas Beautiful
ARTIST STATEMENT: My work is rooted in observation, atmosphere, and the emotional qualities of place. Working primarily in watercolor and ink, I explore landscapes, botanical forms, wildlife, and portraiture through heightened color and subtle abstraction. Rather than aiming for strict realism, I use color, texture, and composition to translate how a subject feels rather than how it appears. I often work from photographic reference and direct study, allowing intuition to guide the painting process as layers build and forms shift. This approach creates space for ambiguity. Where environments feel familiar yet slightly altered, and figures, when present, feel embedded within their surroundings rather than separate from them. Across subjects, I’m interested in attention and presence: the quiet intensity of looking closely at a face, a plant, or a stretch of water. My recent work has begun to explore how environments can hold emotional memory, but even in simpler studies, my focus remains on mood, light, and the relationship between natural form and perception.
