I like both whimsical and serious subject matter and both have made it into my work and someway or another. I also like making sculptures out of scrap material because I am drawn to sculpture as a medium and using scrap materials as much as possible allows me to think I'm making a positive impact on the world by creating less waste. All of this is combined in my BFA show, The Last Lush Forest.

The show consists of an installation that takes up the whole room. Vines made of scrap paper and string will cover the walls. They lack any trees to support them but are still living regardless. Amongst the vines will be an assortment of small figures. Some are just standing there. Some are relaxing with friends. Some are fighting to the death. All of them are accessorized and clothed with scrap material and have gills on their necks, arms, and sometimes their legs. The scrap material brings themes surrounding the environment, as does the forest imagery that is slightly off due to the lack of any large plants aside from vines.

The figures' gills all reference self harm and suicide imagery to illustrate how these kinds of thoughts might follow someone with certain mental illnesses around, even when they're not actively thinking about self harm or suicide. This is especially true in the face of continuing and widespread environmental destruction, represented by the prevalence of scrap materials and everything the figures where and use, as well as the vines and plants made out of scrap materials.

All of this combines to make a statement on the mental health struggles many people, including myself, deal with in relation to wider environmental destruction. We as a society change too slowly on this matter. When a decent future seems less and less likely everyday, it's hard to keep a healthy state of mind. After nature is gone, all we have left is our problems.