Image Alumni '21 Degree Bachelor of Fine Arts Areas of Study Drawing and Painting Current Career Freelance Artist Location San Jose, California Describe the work you submitted for merits. My merit portfolio featured portraits and self-portraits in media such as oil, watercolor, and charcoal. Why did you decide to come to 51±¬ÁϹÙÍø? I actually decided to go to 51±¬ÁϹÙÍø because of the comic art program. I still have a deep love for storytelling, but the realm of painting and drawing is seductively expansive, and I gravitated towards a more personal mode of self-expression through that. What are your plans for your senior year? And beyond? No idea! I haven't been able to make many large-scale drawings or oil paintings during the COVID-19 quarantine, so my work has shifted towards a lot of bookmaking and digital painting recently. I'm returning to Minneapolis in the fall, but it's still a mystery as to what kind of materials and studio space I'm going to have...so I suppose my plans are simply to adapt! I would love to be able to produce a senior show that features not just paintings and drawings, but prints, books, and installations as well. Favorite thing about college life (so far)? The camaraderie that forms in the halls and studios when talking to other artists about our work and our experiences in critiques. The friends made via ranting are especially treasured. What's the best thing you've got from 51±¬ÁϹÙÍø's free shelf? A little moka pot! I use it nearly every day. What inspires you? I find most of my inspiration from nature and decay. Something about decomposition is really alluring to me, and the textures and colors that arise from the natural transmutation of life into death into new life compels me to think about myself and my body as an extension of that process. Do you have a favorite piece you've made? Describe it! My favorite piece at the moment is the first of a series of self-portraits of myself underwater. It's so much fun to play with colors and textures that feel abstract under close inspection, but merge together at a distance to form a more cohesive picture. As well, when a lot of my work is self-reflective and features my own face, it's a lot of fun to abstract it in this way. Anything you're obsessed with at the moment? Currently obsessed with crocheting. I started to learn as a way to keep my hands busy during online classes and it's really been helping me focus while having to sit and listen for long hours. Work Link to Work Detail Link to Work Detail Link to Work Detail Link to Work Detail Link to Work Detail Link to Work Detail Link to Work Detail Link to Work Detail