Graduate Thesis

In my artistic journey as a Master of Fine Arts Candidate, I explore transformation and new life, while also recognizing the death and decay of the world. Our experiences tend to mirror the cyclical process of nature and even more so spiritually as we grow and become who we’re created to be. My creative process is deeply personal, employing a spiritual lens to dissect seasons of death, sewing, pruning, growing and blooming. This parallels the ways in which gardens and nature exist in the world, calling to mind the Garden of Eden, John 15 and the parable of the sower. Eden serves as a foundational reference for what I create and why, displaying what was intended and will one day be fully restored. This hope is a truth that is reiterated in every work I make as I acknowledge a desolate world but rejoice knowing eternal spring is near. This is manifested in vibrant, dream-like imagery—flowers, trees, plants, fruit, and streams of water—symbolizing both personal and spiritual dimensions. Yet, within this idyllic realm, moments of death and decay emerge, manifesting in barren-silhouetted trees, muted colors, and pockets of darkness. As a Christian artist, I perceive myself as co-creating with the Creator of the universe by turning inward and meditating on Scripture to communicate layered facets of the Bible alongside my personal narrative.

The recurring garden is heavily influenced by my great-grandparent's garden that I grew up playing in that originated in the 1950’s. A prominent pear tree oversaw the garden that was once full of fruits, veggies and blooming flowers, with concrete bird baths, statues, and steppingstones placed throughout. Colored glass rocks and fallen pecan shells adorned the many beds, while two hidden clawfoot cast-iron bathtubs held lily pad ponds and fish. These vivid details are etched in my memory, becoming evidence that the time I spent there shaped my artistic expression and instilled in me a wellspring of inspiration that I constantly reference to communicate artistically. Like Eden, their garden was a place of retreat where I found the freedom to be a child, no longer consumed by the complexities and burdens of trauma and brokenness. Since this time, I relied on other avenues to fill the voids of my heart and supply the love I craved but found nothing but lifeless counterfeits. My journey of becoming has never been linear but has reflected that same cyclical processes of nature as I shed the past, plant seeds of life and grow in Christ, soon to be in full bloom. In essence, my work serves as a reflective stream, an introspective gaze into who I once was, and a hopeful anticipation of a perfect redemption beyond this temporary home. It encapsulates not just my story, but the biblical quest of transformation from death to life which is available to all.