A common theme of my work is communication and its failings. Growing up I found difficulty in developing good communication skills and struggled to meet new people or develop meaningful relationships. Through my work I explore my desire to be loved, and my past experiences of love being held back. Discovering and managing my own autism has led me to observe how we as humans communicate and the difficulties involved. My work represents how I communicate in my own unique way. I use my work to express what I cannot through my words.

               Many of my figurative pieces capture the emotion of the model through abstract angles. Being autistic and in an unstable home meant I had to look for ways to predict others’ emotions or else be punished for not reading their mind. I focus on body language a lot in life because it was a strategy to avoid conflict and miscommunication that could hurt me. The back and shoulders interest me specifically because they carry so much of our feelings and thoughts through tension and relaxation. I find that I can represent the subject’s mind through their spine and shoulder blades almost as much as the eyes and mouth.

My ceramic series focuses on using work that expresses a desire to communicate from the perspective of someone who struggles with and often fails but still wants to help others. The process of finding this idea in the work came only after making around 30 pieces. I realized that this was how I felt when interacting with the outside world. I felt that my message could be pure in intent but would be seen as garish and uncoordinated when really, I just want to be kind.