I create figurative oil, paintings and mixed media work, rooted in memory and the body. I often use personal archives like Catholic school photographs, and fragments of family history shaped by addiction faith and survival. I’m interested in how images can hold contradiction: care, and violence, shame, and tenderness, repair and rupture painting and stitching becomes a way of building that tension into the surface.

I find inspiration in memory, family history in the tension between faith and live experience. Growing up in a Catholic school environment, while navigating addiction and instability in my family shapes much of what I returned to. Old photographs, uniforms, and everyday objects become entry points for thinking about the body, resilience, and how personal history can be carried in material things.

If I received $25,000, I would use it to build a foundation for a sustainable art career. That includes securing studio space, traveling to places with stronger, artistic opportunities, and applying to residency programs that expand my practice. I want to continue learning through different environments and educational experiences, especially in places like Italy, where I can deepen my research and develop as an artist.