Port Moody Secondary School

Artist Statement
Art has always been my outlet for storytelling. My art stems from my need to justify myself—to express things that come out clumsily with words. Because of that, I like to rely on placing a mundane subject within the fantastical, or vice versa. Familiar ideas or images—like turns of phrases, mythology or portraiture—are twisted through vibrant colours and ‘settingless’ settings that trap the subjects into frozen pieces of time.

When making art, I think back to gallery visits, frames of animation, lines of novels and poetry, and my own experiences—scraps I’ve collected onto myself to later sort through. Whether I’m inspired by unromantic genre-painting or vibrant contemporary art, the goal is to find a precise, simple way to express some vague, faraway feeling. To give banal emotions a sense of intensity.

Always, I hope for resonance. For my art to give someone pause. I think the ability to be selfish like this gives artists freedom to create whatever story appeals to them most—no matter the technical skill, I hold onto those types of pieces most.

I’ve applied to Sheridan College and Emily Carr for animation so that I can continue telling these stories.