My work centers around themes of fear change and metamorphoses. The fear of the chaos that change will bring, of sudden and rapid movement often present in life, and how adaptability is crucial to human existence. I create sculptures that act as metaphors for the most ugly stages of human existence. To me, caterpillars represent those stages in life where one is vulnerable with where they are but are unable to see any potential danger they are surrounded by.

 Many species of caterpillars, such as hickory horned devils and cecropia caterpillars, have evolved to have brightly colored spikes and bumps on their bodies to serve as a barrier. They signal to potential predators that they may be deadly, their horns could impale them or their bright colors could signal that they are full of lethal poison. These features, however, are all just a disguise. Underneath it all is a round, soft, slow-moving creature that doesn’t have too much of a direction in life, other than to eat and move. We hold on to old patterns as a way to cope, we put on masks to hide our vulnerabilities, to pretend to be a better, more presentable version of ourselves, to make it seem as though we know who we are or what we are doing with our lives, but we are all vulnerable underneath it all. We use our defenses as a way to cope with change, but yet some of these coping skills are unhealthy for our journey. 

Ultimately, my work is an exploration of fear and self-portrait. I have always placed myself in the role of a caterpillar in life, being defensive of my surroundings and slow-moving to change. I originally chose to use a caterpillar as my subject matter because of my life-long fear of them, but the more I sculpted them, the more I developed empathy for them. I’ve realized in recent years through observing others in similar stages that metamorphosis is necessary. If a caterpillar wasn’t able to evolve, nature would catch up to its ruse, and eventually, it would succumb. The same could be applied to humans, a refusal to adapt and embrace new versions of ourselves could lead to our demise, or less intensely lead to us being stuck in old habits. 

I use both narrative scenes and abstract forms to best portray my themes. They show scenes of sudden changes or unhealthy coping skills that have been present in my life.  My palette is bright and colorful, it mimics the patterns and colors found on caterpillars. To me, these bright colors are a double entendre, they are meant to bring joy to those who view them, but are used as a defense and to signal poison in nature. I use these elements in my work to discuss the human condition and to use them as a vehicle to work through my fears and anxiety. In doing so, it creates a conversation with those who view it.