I am from Victoria, Canada where I currently live and work. In my practice, I primarily paint with oil on canvas, which I began practicing six years ago. I am completing my fourth year at The University of Victoria where I am working toward an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts with honours, a major in Visual Arts and a minor in Art History. I am part of the curatorial team and I will be helping to curate exhibitions throughout the year. In the fall of 2024 I had the opportunity to take a semester abroad to Newcastle University for their Fine Arts program, where I furthered my knowledge of oil painting techniques. In the summer of 2025 I worked as a gallery assistant for the Sooke Fine Arts Show. I designed signage and helped to curate and prepare the artworks for the show. I have plenty of experience with commissioned portraiture. Also, I have displayed paintings at various shows in The University of Victoria’s Visual Arts department, The Sooke Fine Arts Show and The Metchosin ArtPod.
I create allegorical oil paintings through my portraiture. Research is vital in my practice; I use art as a means to learn about various painting techniques and iconography. I often write short stories or poems to go along with my paintings, sometimes included in the visual work and sometimes not. I essentially want to think of my paintings as stories or rather stills from a greater picture and writing helps me to create a narrative. I admire the purpose of Romanticism. I want to capture the subject’s individuality and emphasize their emotions. I overlay varying symbols and elements that allude to the person’s current disposition. This is to create a clear image of a feeling or moment in life that the viewer can relate to. I use my face by staging myself to then paint from photographs I alter. I paint alla prima for smaller or quicker paintings and use imprimatura or grisaille techniques for larger works. In my oil paintings I utilize vivid colour in the skin of my subjects and broken and expressive brushstrokes. I choose to underscore observation, storytelling and the expressive details of the human form.
