artist statement

It took a long time for me to think of myself as an artist. Being raised by professional Jazz musicians and visial artists, I've grown up in a constantly creative environment. I've always made art in my spare time, but it was only a year ago (right around the beginning of last summer when, after three years of college, I realized that I probably should have been an art major all along) that I really started to think of myself that way. Over the past year, I've developed my ideas about what an artist is and what I want to be with my art. I've expanded my skillset in many ways. I've mainly gravitated towards painting and metal-work. In my painting, I have always felt very connected to Natural inspirations, in particular botanical subjects and the symbolism of trees. But though I love to paint, I derive the most joy from working with metals, and hope to design my art major around the goal of gaining training in this area of art. I have learned how to solder, cast, fabricate, and use the power of heat to create some really cool effects in the metal, and I could spend hours in the studio playing with design ideas. My hope is to develop my skills in both jewelry and small scale metal-smithing, and larger sculptural work. I'm still waiting to see where my art takes me, but whether I put these skills to use as a working artist or simply use them for the purposes of my own enjoyment, I know I have something that will always make me happy.