Looking at this pants-less, stick-figure masterpiece, 

 

few would confidently assume that the artist would later major in art. When I look at what my five-year-old self created—along with some dried-out markers and blind optimism—I am also a tad surprised. However, it’s when I flash back to the moment of presenting this drawing as my Father’s Day gift 16 years ago that it begins to make sense again. Today, everything I “am” is because of them: my dad, my mom, my brother, my closest friends, and every other person that has ever responded “thank you” for something I created. Whether it be a crayon rendition of a sunset, a colored pencil sketch of my four-legged best friend, or the flower outside my Nonna’s window, their gratitude and appreciation for what I had made allowed me to fall in love with the process of making. So to them—thank you.

 

Painting has become the means through which I can express what words fall short to capture. My current series reflects upon many of the places I have had the opportunity to live in or travel through, all of which have led me to this point. From the hot dog shop on the corner of MacArthur and Wilson, to the overlook above the city of Portland or the fields of rural Washington, I wouldn’t be where I am today had it not been for each of those places and the people who led me there. During the past four years, I have had the privilege of broadening my perspectives through experiences inside and outside of the classroom, and have developed a fascination for the interdisciplinary overlap of art, psychology, and environmental studies. Our sense of self and place are deeply intertwined and I believe that insights into many of today’s most daunting issues, such as environmental degradation, can be found somewhere in between.         

  

A picture may speak a thousand words, but many of these issues need more than words—they need action. While I appreciate the confidence and discipline I have acquired from my artistic experiences, I am most grateful for the resulting orientation towards my future aspirations where I can hopefully combine an appreciation for visual perspectives with change-driven action.

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-Spring 2017