I was raised as a member of the Church of Christ (a fundamentalist section of the christian faith). And as a result, my formative experiences have allowed me a wealth of knowledge in biblical stories as well as an awareness of entrenched religious biases. In my artistic journey, I am on a mission to uncover the unconscious bias that so many devoted people hold against each other. I use various media to piece together a new story. I believe that each group—religious, irreligious or spiritual—has connections to one another. Although I am now agnostic, I believe that there is intrinsic value in faith, whether that belief is in a God, yourself, or something else. It is my hope to mend some of the disconnect and contention among people and possibly spark a conversation or resolve an argument through the imagery I create. I began piecing aspects of the classroom, christianity and other abrahamic religions and spiritual practice into one composition by turning my focus to expression. Through portrait centered retellings of stories from different sacred texts; humans, angels and other metaphysical beings began to take on a new form. Composed on notebook paper (both simulated and actual), canvas and linen, my students and people in my life became the focal point as I merged various different faces into one character, each one becoming  as much of an individual as they are united in a Choir. I am deliberately blurring the lines between multiple groups by leaving the narrative of the painting vague and focusing on the human within each composition, thus allowing the viewer to attach their personal experiences and meaning to the work in front of them. I am in pursuit of a deeper knowledge of the world around me, and I am inviting the viewer to accompany me along this journey. 

Togetherness and introspection are major themes of the direction I am headed in through analyzing and re-evaluating historical and religious text and then translating that to imagery. I wish to view the world through various perspectives and narratives from the people I meet rather than follow a trend of creating work based solely on what I believe.