For the memories that have undeniably shaped who I am today, I created shaped paintings using wire and non-traditional painting surfaces, such as plastic grocery bags or an old pillowcase. 

My paintings are abstracted depictions of events I have experienced or thought about experiencing. I begin each piece with the title, a short phrase that instantly brings me back to every sensation associated with the memory, even a memory created by an imagined experience. Although the title gives some clarity to the viewer, I think of the titles as inside jokes between the paintings and myself. Therefore, the viewer will never be able to fully approach the paintings from my point of view. I use a variety of textures because I want the act of viewing my paintings to be a tactile experience, rather than only a visual one. The more powerful the memory, whether for good or for bad, the more texture the painting has—I add a layer of paint for every time I dwell on the memory. Both the sculptural paintings and paintings on canvas are kept small-scale to represent that a memory itself is insignificant; it only becomes deeper and heavier if you let it.