Connect What is your favorite type of art to create?

Painting that thinks. My work exists at the intersection of myth, symbol, and material process, forming layered surfaces where meaning accumulates like sediment. I paint roses as archetypal vessels, construct stenciled grids that serve as contemplative fields, and compose poetry that coexists with the visual work. While the medium changes, the inquiry remains constant. I continually ask what persists when the narrative is reduced to its essential gesture.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find myself listening in the woods, immersed in Ovid and poetry, and contemplating grief that resists resolution. Drawing on Carl Jung's idea that the symbol is the psyche's native language, I reflect on tarot, myth cycles, and how light illuminates a painting at a particular hour. I am deeply moved by phenomena that have endured long enough to become archetypal, as well as by the still moments when personal experience echoes something ancient.

What would you do with $25,000?

I have dedicated years to establishing a creative practice from limited resources in a small mountain town. This grant would enable me to advance my career through a solo exhibition, a published portfolio, and the opportunity to write without the constraints of financial insecurity. It would allow me to share my work more widely and ensure it reaches a broader audience.