Some of my earliest and most precious memories are those of my mother reading fairy tales to me before bed. I would spend hours looking at the illustrations on book pages before I could even read, captivated by the artist's hand which created whole new worlds on paper. These stories and illustrations have lived in my mind since I was a child and now as an artist they find their way onto my own paper.

Sanctuary of Stories is inspired by the importance of holding onto the imaginative sense of comfort and wonder found in stories. My appreciation of nature and love of the fantasy genre are main inspirations for my work. As I interact with books and films that explore magic - the otherworldly, the fantastical - my perspective shifts on how I experience everyday life. This series of work reveals that you don't have to look far to find something magical and extraordinary. I paint because I want to see something comforting and beautiful, whimsical and gentle. Although the subject matter I paint is influenced by the fantasy genre and illustrations, the conceptual narrative reflects something personal, whether that be a memory, theme, or an emotion. Each painting is intended to exude a certain feeling or state of mind through the atmospheric setting I build using color, lighting, and characters.

The quality of watercolor as a medium inspires me to stay imaginative and capture the dreamlike and romantic, while incorporating ink adds the balance of structure. Oil paint enables me to create something that feels more tangible and vivid, but by leaving certain parts of the canvas “unfinished”, the work feels like it doesn't quite exist in reality. Framing, as an extension of the artwork, suggests a portal or window which allows for a glimpse to another world or moment and renders it as something precious. I piece together different photographs that I've taken, objects from my home, memories, and books that I've read in order to build these worlds on paper. A figure is often included within the scene, sometimes as a representation of myself interacting with the setting or are directly inspired by characters from books or films that I love. Formally, light and atmosphere are aspects that I most want to capture and the colors I work with are very carefully considered to further support the feeling of a work.

Through this body of work I explore how the stories I interact with connect to me on a deeper level; I can process, reflect, and learn through the perspective they bring. Overall, this series invites the viewer to experience a sense of wonder and adventure and how imagination provides meaning even to the mundane.