PORTFOLIO

My oshibana art practice embodies patience, gentleness and symbolism. It invites me to slow down and be present through each stage of my process from preservation to adhesion. Through this pace, I am given an opportunity to attune to what flora has to teach us; I allow my work to be a vehicle to express some of its lessons.

In addition to flora, my work is influenced by ritual, community, art and fauna. My work explores themes of impermanence, transformation and duality. I invite viewers to contemplate my work through the lens of Floriography (the language of flowers) and to ask themselves what part of the life death cycle do they have a hard time accepting.

May each leaf or petal invite a conversation that widens our perspective or aids us in understanding ourselves.

PSORIASIS SCALES STUDY

'Psoriasis' is Greek meaning 'itching condition'. I like to describe the experience as 'an itch you can't scratch'.

The cause of this condition is not fully understood and across the patients studied there are are a variety of reasons one might contract it ranging from genetics to seasonal changes. In May of 2014 the World Health Organization acknowledged the burden of psoriasis and indicated an intent to battle the stigma around this condition.

I have lived with psoriasis and eczema since I was a youth and recently my dormant condition returned with a vengeance, taking a new form inhabiting different areas of my body it previously never reached. This transition corresponds with a change in my career, financials, home, relationships and a commencement of psychoanalysis treatment.

In an effort of acceptance, transition, and inquiry this series aims to dive into the factors that I perceive as contributing to my condition.

a woman for all seasons – winter (December 2023)

Flora: Milkweed, Limonium, Delphinium, Carnation, Pansy, Thistle and Feverfew

Summary: A memory of tracing my side profile in the eighth grade and becoming aware of my physical differences. A time of self consciousness and discomfort in my eccentricities. A time eczema appeared in the crevices of my nose and through my eyebrows and scales formed on my scalp.

intrusive silhouette (February 2024)

Flora: Carnation, Peony, Clematis, African Violet, Bleeding Heart, Christmas Cactus, Seeded Eucalyptus. Cape is woven with botanically dyed fabric from Silk and Sumac.

Summary: A silhouette with cape, painted pants and enlarged hands that represent the weight of undesired touch. Alcohol to balance the anxiety of being seen and looked at when I dress in a way that reveals me, but also for the confidence to say no or hunt a desired outcome. The morning after, my skin expresses its outrage and silently urges me to find a path to find balance and confidence another way.

inside of me silhouette (April 2024)

Flora: Delphinium, Jewels of Opar, Silver Dollar Eucalyptus, English Ivy, Italian Ruscus and Olive.

Summary: Internal silhouette showcasing Lymphatic pathways. Tenderness invites me to think on what is stuck. What haven’t I allowed to be processed? Does lymph fluid hold emotion or just our organs? My therapist said that our emotions and stored memories are like an iceberg and the first year of psychoanalysis is just saying hello; it takes repetition and intention to breach the surface. Similar to draining your lymph nodes and supporting the movement of toxins to be processed in your body, sometimes we need massage or tools like therapy to move the emotions that are causing harm to our systems.

a woman for all seasons – summer (June 2024)

Flora: Sweetpeas, Salvia, Delphinium, Scabiosa, Solidago, Pansy, Zinnia and Feverfew.

Summary: Do you notice that when you’re complimented the most, its when you are performing and wearing a mask? Disassociation from what lays beyond the veil and what is celebrated. Looking back at myself some of the times I find myself the most attractive is when I am the furthest from my natural state. I had blonde highlights once. A memory of the day after wearing a full face of makeup, a red complexion even if I did cleanse and moisturize well enough.

This series is inspired by the work of late Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo and Surrealist artists Salvador Dalí, Frida Khalo and Leonora Carrington. This work is a visual and written account of the metamorphosis that occurred over the past two years. With this fantastical series I hope to give a voice to the people who experience this condition but have not yet found the words to say.

a prized possession (October 2024)

Flora: Delphinium, Sweet Williams

Summary: I had always loved my hands but it wasn’t until the spread that I realized how beautiful and useful they were. The inflammation swelled my fingers to a point of no bending, the cracks widening with each anxious rub. My hands became the target of my anxious paralysis; I’d find myself lost in thought picking and rubbing at the damaged skin, extending the healing by weeks. I started to hide them; I told myself it was for protection so they didn’t worsen but in hindsight I think it was to shield the shame that came with how they looked.

abortion (December 2024)

Flora: Delphinium

Summary: I bear your weight, even if you were ‘just a bunch of cells’. Before this moment I had never considered you, not until I dreamt about your hair flowing in a Spring breeze. I held your shame and buried my pain. It took me 11 months to talk about, to anyone other than you. Gratitude to my ancestors who were walking alongside me as I shed each layer.

don’t speak silhouette (January 2025)

Flora: Delphinium, Feverfew, Ming Fern

Summary: We can tell ourselves a lie for so long that we begin to believe it as the truth. Secrets and traumas are buried deep in our tissues and without knowing it we are choking the truth to take no further breath. As I begin to unravel my history through psychoanalysis I witness things come up that have always been there but I have forgotten about; perhaps there is beauty in the ignorance but as I become more aware I feel my body itch for understanding and truth, in everything. Eczema crawls across my neck and collarbone like hands stopping a conversation; maybe my truths have found themselves stuck in throat and I am digging for them to come out.

abstract WORK

My roots in composition lay in abstract and mandala designs. I enjoy the meditative quality of repeating patterns and notice a unique depth and stillness to my breath when creating this way. I like to think that each piece I create in this manner tells the story of my emotional being the day I made it.

Local Flower Collective Flow (October 2024)

Flora: Delphinium, Scabiosa, Phlox, White Vervain and Salvia

Flowers are woven through botanically dyed silk by Silk and Sumac.

Mulmur Hawkly Flow (October 2022)

Flora: Calendula, Aster, Solidago, Queen Anne’s Lace, Lavender and Zinnia

Flowers are woven through botanically dyed silk by Silk and Sumac.