My work explores the disparity between humanity’s concrete relationship with the natural world and the place that nature holds in our imagination. It is directly informed by my distinct experiences of having grown up in the remote mountains of Northern California as a child, and, as an adult, living in a large city. I am inspired by how my move to the city seems to parallel society’ s further removal from nature and the rise of machines that govern our interactions with each other and the world.

In my Unicorn Travesties series I seek to explore the disregard we currently hold for the environment in the context of historical European iconography. Taking the medieval Unicorn Tapestries as my source, I have re-imagined their scenes as set within the modern world. Visually, I am very interested in the flat floral patterning that makes up the backgrounds of some of the tapestries. In many of my pieces I extract floral elements from their “mille fleur” backgrounds, subtly inserting within the works various pieces of urban refuse, such as cigarette butts, soda cans, smashed televisions, etc. I am using it as an ironic metaphor for the American way of life— a comment on our consumption, our disposable way of living, and ultimately our implication in the destruction of the environment.