Artist Statement

At age 38, I was diagnosed with Optic Neuropathy. My vision loss progressively declined, and I am now legally blind. This experience drastically altered my identity as both person and artist. Fearing a rupture in my creative practice, I became a psychotherapist.  I now assist young people in navigating a world ill-suited for their neuroatypical minds, gender and sexual identities, and both visible and invisible disabilities.

My own color vision loss and low visual acuity force a new level of hyperawareness of my space, body and materials. This vigilance mimics the effort it takes to navigate the outside world with vision loss and a transgender identity. My process is gestural and intuitive, responsive and reactive. Water merges line and color, while graphite gives voice to moments of emotional release. Layering reflects varying manners of communication and a mapping of stillness, memory, and non-linear feeling states. When I paint, I wrestle with the limitations of language while creating images of my own experiences with belonging, intimacy, vulnerability and self-actualization.