'Where the Paper Takes Me'

April 2, 2022

Since I started my MFA journey last summer, I've filled my Portland studio floor to ceiling dozens of times with sheets of colorful painted paper. To view a moment of my frenzied creative process, click the photo above for a short video by fellow MECA&D grad student Bea Hesselbart.

Grad school has been every bit the whirlwind I expected. And so much more that I never imagined. Admittedly, I've done an inadequate job of documenting the frenetic MFA journey thus far and pausing long enough to capture and reflect on some of my countless moments of discovery and learning from the past year.

One of those discoveries is my newfound deep appreciation for materiality; for focusing as much or more on the physical properties of the materials I use in my painting as on the ultimate appearance of a finished piece. That focus has propelled my art practice in unexpected directions.

Last fall Bea Hesselbart, a fellow Maine College of Art & Design grad student, interviewed me for a class assignment in the college's Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Her resulting short video makes my messy studio, disjointed thoughts and haphazard creative process actually appear cool and coherent. (Thank you Bea!) She captured a flurry of creation that illustrates some of the ways I'm employing paper in my paintings.

My learning and creating have continued at a hectic clip in the months since Bea filmed me in my studio. As I prepare to wrap up year one of grad school and then transition quickly to the second and final year, I will try to pause a bit more and share some of those moments of learning. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Bea's video.