ARTIST STATEMENT
In the age social media, my paintings celebrate how we now constantly share the sentimental mundane of every day. These contemporary genre scenes depict the world around me, my family, and friends as they go about their daily lives. With the current overabundance of access we have to each others' digital photo albums, a new generation has been made to feel that they have to make every moment iconic- that their life needs to be bigger, better, and more beautiful than everyone else’s. I hope to remind people through my work that every little simple moment that is spent shared with each other is already perfection- no filter required.
Through these works, a dialogue is opened about how we care for, and why we interact with each other in the way that we do. The works share a common affection despite their variety of subjects and environments. The scenes are ambiguous enough to let the viewer participate in the construction of the depicted event, and in the creation of the identities of the figures represented. What the viewer feels from each scene reflects what they bring to it from their individual life experience, which is rewarding because every viewer has a different experience of each painting and a different idea of what it means.
These paintings are all done from my own photographic references, and my source materials are all from spontaneous moments. The process of painting is appropriate because it lets me spend time recreating, and in a sense prolonging, the moments I choose to represent- in stark contrast to how quickly we consume and discard digital memories today.
In the age social media, my paintings celebrate how we now constantly share the sentimental mundane of every day. These contemporary genre scenes depict the world around me, my family, and friends as they go about their daily lives. With the current overabundance of access we have to each others' digital photo albums, a new generation has been made to feel that they have to make every moment iconic- that their life needs to be bigger, better, and more beautiful than everyone else’s. I hope to remind people through my work that every little simple moment that is spent shared with each other is already perfection- no filter required.
Through these works, a dialogue is opened about how we care for, and why we interact with each other in the way that we do. The works share a common affection despite their variety of subjects and environments. The scenes are ambiguous enough to let the viewer participate in the construction of the depicted event, and in the creation of the identities of the figures represented. What the viewer feels from each scene reflects what they bring to it from their individual life experience, which is rewarding because every viewer has a different experience of each painting and a different idea of what it means.
These paintings are all done from my own photographic references, and my source materials are all from spontaneous moments. The process of painting is appropriate because it lets me spend time recreating, and in a sense prolonging, the moments I choose to represent- in stark contrast to how quickly we consume and discard digital memories today.
RESUME
Born Fort Lauderdale, FL
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
EDUCATION
2012 MFA in Painting with Distinction, University of New Mexico
2008 BFA in Painting, Florida State University
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2023 Grand Gestures (solo) - Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2023 The Cityscape Show XIII, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Art Market San Francisco - Art Fair with Billis Williams Gallery
2022 CityScape XII- George Billis Gallery LA, Culver City, CA
2022 Cakes- The Lemonade Stand, Fairbanks, AK
2022 Highway 62 Art Tours- Psychic Arches, Landers, CA
2020 Hoarders House - Field Projects Gallery, New York City, NY
2020 13+, The Lemonade Stand, Fairbanks, AK
2018 Bathers- Planthouse Gallery, New York, NY
2017 Open Narratives (solo)- Pierce College Art Gallery, Woodland Hills, CA
2017 Tallahassee International, FSU Museum of Fine Art, Tallahassee, FL
2016 Women Painting Women, RJD Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
2016 Twelve, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
2016 Los Angeles Billboard Creative Show, Billboards across Los Angeles
2015 Miami University Young Painters Competition juried by Franklin Sirmans- Hiestand North Gallery, Oxford, OH
2015 Pulse of LA juried by Leslie Cozzi- LA Artcore Union Station Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2015 DAWN, Sananda Gallery, Venice, CA
2015 At This Time / In This City- Exact Science Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2015 Representational Art in the 21st Century- Wailoa Arts and Cultural Center with the University of Hawaii Summer Art Institute, Hilo, HI
2015 Rendezvous- Keystone Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2014 Los Angeles Artist’s Association 2014 Open Show Juried by Susan Cross- 825 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2014 I Heart LA, Jeanie Madsen Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2014 The Bridge Between Us, 11:11 A Creative Collective, Tarzana, CA
2014 Group Show- Keystone Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Annual Summer Juried Show- Sylvia White Gallery, Ventura, CA
2013 Momentary-Ana Medina and Jill Christian- Platz Gallery at the Southwestern University of the Visual Arts, Albuquerque, NM
2013 mIrrorspeak, EMP, Baltimore, MD
2012 New Mexico Showcase, Juried by Peter Frank- 516 Arts Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2012 Tangents, John Sommers Gallery, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
2012 Sentimental (Im)propriety, Eggman and Walrus Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2012 How Appropriate, [AC]2 Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
LECTURES / RESIDENCIES
2017 Lecture at Pierce College coinciding with solo show Open Narratives, Woodland Hills, CA
2014 Artist in Residence at Great Smoky Mountain National Park
2014 Presentation at Arrowmont School on Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
2013 Lecture at Southwestern University for the Visual Arts, Albuquerque, NM, coinciding with Momentary exhibition
2012 MFA Thesis Talk at the University of New Mexico
2009 Presentation at The Petting Zoo Gallery, Albuquerque, NM, coinciding with At First Sight exhibition
GRANTS / AWARDS
2015 Miami University’s 2015 Young Painters Award Third Place Grant
2014 Accepted into the Los Angeles Artist Association
2012 RPT Travel and Research Grant, UNM
2012-09 GA/TA Scholarships from UNM
2011-10 Clyde A. and Elizabeth R. Hill Endowed Scholarship
2008-04 Florida Bright Futures Academic Scholarship
2006-04 FSU Incentive Scholarship
2007 Krown Materials Award
PUBLICATIONS
2023 American Art Collector, magazine, Issue 216, Artists Spotlight
2020 BOOOOOOOM, digital magazine, Artists Spotlight
2020 Archive 00, magazine, Issue 1, Saint Maison Gallery
2017 FSU Museum of Fine Art, Tallahassee International, Exhibition Catalog
2015 LA Artcore Union Station Gallery, Pulse of LA, Exhibition Calalog
2015 SELFISH, magazine, Issue 2 The Hand Magazine, Issue 7
2014 Dialogist: Quarterly Poetry and Art, Volume II, Issue II
2012 AC[2] Gallery, How Appropriate, Solo Exhibition Catalog 516 Arts Gallery, New Mexico Showcase, Exhibition Catalog
PROFESSIONAL
2023 Adjunct Faculty of Painting, Moorpark College, Moorpark, CA
2019-17 Shop Supervisor / Fabricator, Blackwidow LLC, Los Angeles, CA
2017-14 Studio Assistant / Studio Project Manager, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Part Time Faculty, Painting/Drawing, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
2012-10 Instructor of Record Painting I, Drawing I, Drawing II, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
2009 Teaching Assistant for Robin Ward, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
COLLECTIONS
Collection of Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Collection of the University of New Mexico
Numerous private collections.
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
EDUCATION
2012 MFA in Painting with Distinction, University of New Mexico
2008 BFA in Painting, Florida State University
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2023 Grand Gestures (solo) - Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2023 The Cityscape Show XIII, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Art Market San Francisco - Art Fair with Billis Williams Gallery
2022 CityScape XII- George Billis Gallery LA, Culver City, CA
2022 Cakes- The Lemonade Stand, Fairbanks, AK
2022 Highway 62 Art Tours- Psychic Arches, Landers, CA
2020 Hoarders House - Field Projects Gallery, New York City, NY
2020 13+, The Lemonade Stand, Fairbanks, AK
2018 Bathers- Planthouse Gallery, New York, NY
2017 Open Narratives (solo)- Pierce College Art Gallery, Woodland Hills, CA
2017 Tallahassee International, FSU Museum of Fine Art, Tallahassee, FL
2016 Women Painting Women, RJD Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
2016 Twelve, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
2016 Los Angeles Billboard Creative Show, Billboards across Los Angeles
2015 Miami University Young Painters Competition juried by Franklin Sirmans- Hiestand North Gallery, Oxford, OH
2015 Pulse of LA juried by Leslie Cozzi- LA Artcore Union Station Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2015 DAWN, Sananda Gallery, Venice, CA
2015 At This Time / In This City- Exact Science Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2015 Representational Art in the 21st Century- Wailoa Arts and Cultural Center with the University of Hawaii Summer Art Institute, Hilo, HI
2015 Rendezvous- Keystone Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2014 Los Angeles Artist’s Association 2014 Open Show Juried by Susan Cross- 825 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2014 I Heart LA, Jeanie Madsen Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2014 The Bridge Between Us, 11:11 A Creative Collective, Tarzana, CA
2014 Group Show- Keystone Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Annual Summer Juried Show- Sylvia White Gallery, Ventura, CA
2013 Momentary-Ana Medina and Jill Christian- Platz Gallery at the Southwestern University of the Visual Arts, Albuquerque, NM
2013 mIrrorspeak, EMP, Baltimore, MD
2012 New Mexico Showcase, Juried by Peter Frank- 516 Arts Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2012 Tangents, John Sommers Gallery, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
2012 Sentimental (Im)propriety, Eggman and Walrus Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2012 How Appropriate, [AC]2 Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
LECTURES / RESIDENCIES
2017 Lecture at Pierce College coinciding with solo show Open Narratives, Woodland Hills, CA
2014 Artist in Residence at Great Smoky Mountain National Park
2014 Presentation at Arrowmont School on Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
2013 Lecture at Southwestern University for the Visual Arts, Albuquerque, NM, coinciding with Momentary exhibition
2012 MFA Thesis Talk at the University of New Mexico
2009 Presentation at The Petting Zoo Gallery, Albuquerque, NM, coinciding with At First Sight exhibition
GRANTS / AWARDS
2015 Miami University’s 2015 Young Painters Award Third Place Grant
2014 Accepted into the Los Angeles Artist Association
2012 RPT Travel and Research Grant, UNM
2012-09 GA/TA Scholarships from UNM
2011-10 Clyde A. and Elizabeth R. Hill Endowed Scholarship
2008-04 Florida Bright Futures Academic Scholarship
2006-04 FSU Incentive Scholarship
2007 Krown Materials Award
PUBLICATIONS
2023 American Art Collector, magazine, Issue 216, Artists Spotlight
2020 BOOOOOOOM, digital magazine, Artists Spotlight
2020 Archive 00, magazine, Issue 1, Saint Maison Gallery
2017 FSU Museum of Fine Art, Tallahassee International, Exhibition Catalog
2015 LA Artcore Union Station Gallery, Pulse of LA, Exhibition Calalog
2015 SELFISH, magazine, Issue 2 The Hand Magazine, Issue 7
2014 Dialogist: Quarterly Poetry and Art, Volume II, Issue II
2012 AC[2] Gallery, How Appropriate, Solo Exhibition Catalog 516 Arts Gallery, New Mexico Showcase, Exhibition Catalog
PROFESSIONAL
2023 Adjunct Faculty of Painting, Moorpark College, Moorpark, CA
2019-17 Shop Supervisor / Fabricator, Blackwidow LLC, Los Angeles, CA
2017-14 Studio Assistant / Studio Project Manager, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Part Time Faculty, Painting/Drawing, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
2012-10 Instructor of Record Painting I, Drawing I, Drawing II, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
2009 Teaching Assistant for Robin Ward, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
COLLECTIONS
Collection of Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Collection of the University of New Mexico
Numerous private collections.