My practice explores storytelling, proverbs, music, and shared experience through tactile, materially driven forms in sculpture and painting
You decide who will appear in Artforum Magazine, take home $25,000, and display their work at The Art of Elysium's Salon!
I love carving wood starting with a rough idea and letting the form reveal itself. As I remove material, the piece becomes clearer, guided by intuition and the wood itself. When I’m feeling low, I turn to painting—writing poetry or journaling on the canvas, then layering paint and collage as a way to process what’s inside and shape it into something with presence.
Where do you find inspiration?Everywhere—in wind, water, movement, plants, and nature; in positive and negative space, people, light, and cast shadows. I feel it most when I’m travelling and when working, especially while wrestling with a piece. Learning from other artists and receiving thoughtful critiques is also deeply inspiring to me.
What would you do with $25,000?I would use it to rent dedicated studio space, invest in materials and equipment, and purchase a strong camera to properly document my work. I’d also set aside funds to occasionally rent a car and get out into nature for time to think, reset, and gather inspiration. I hope to be able to sustain a creative lifestyle and make 16 or more sculptures over the next couple of years to have a solo show and find gallery representation to sell more works.
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