About

“Sport embodies the distinction between a world of domination, scientific management, and artificially generated dislike of others, and a world of collaboration, spontaneity, and fellowship.” 

– Toby Miller, Sportsex

I am a painter and mixed media artist based in Texas. I received my B.F.A. in Studio Art from the University of Texas in 2020. In my work, I explore athletic culture and its influences on my life and my artistic practice. 

Contact sports, such as rugby, play an integral role in the forming of an alternate site where different rules are at play. Athletic endeavors, as I have experienced them, are often a form of escapism. They are a site to investigate one’s physical limits and abilities, putting aside all else in linear pursuit of a single goal. A pulled jersey, outstretched arm, or instance of directional force are all cues for exploration; these external forces that act upon the body can be broken down into moments. By switching the context, color fields, and time constraints of these moments, I aim to show the delicate nature of that which appears intense, physical, or sometimes violent. 

I am interested in the ways in which sports teams enable a type of social development. They provide an opportunity to form a sense of self through physical contact with others, in a space somewhat removed from the rest of the day-to-day and its priorities. I aim to portray the experience of the average American athlete, constantly entrenched in self-improvement while searching for meaning in a pastime that grows difficult to justify. 

I use painting as a means of giving time and attention to situations that otherwise last only a split-second. The slow-drying nature of oil paint allows me to work and re-work layers of motion and line over time, thus creating the depth that allows the viewer to become immersed in the moment at hand. 

In the broadest lens, although my subject matter revolves around sports, my work addresses common anxieties of individual and collective. I address the struggle with oneself to improve some aspect of a state of being or existence, using factors within their control – and in doing so, finding out how they are. One asks: what role do I want to play, and what must I do to play it? Where do I fit in? Where are my limits? Do I want to find them? And if I find them, what do I do next? And finally, what will I learn about myself along the way?