My work is my response. I use bright colors, patterns, and fun circus-like elements to process and voice my emotions, fears, and aspirations. I work primarily in collage, mixed media, video, and photographs. My choice of media and way of working is spontaneous, I often adapt my material choice to the concept of that work and what is speaking to me at the time. These works are created by the combination of old magazine ads, found objects, clown paraphernalia, and my own photographs. Most of my works relate closely with one another and they can function solitary or in a series.
I often draw parallels between parts of my identity and relate them to the appearance and ideology of clowns. Sometimes I do this for the sake of effective juxtaposition, such as exploring feelings of failure, fear, loneliness, anxiety, and sadness through something as cheerful as the stereotypical clown. This iconography provides a sort of ambiguity, sarcasm, and tongue in cheek effect. Cindy Sherman and Mike Kelly both inspire my works dealing with these concepts.
I use the clown motif as a vessel that I can attach multiple ideas and concepts to. The idea of the artist as an entertainer, is a concept that has always interested me. Bruce Nauman is a big influence in how he illustrates concepts such as artists as entertainers, self parody, and using himself as a performer in his work.
My feminist ideologies and interest in gender and women’s studies also impact my artwork greatly. I am inspired by various feminist artists such as Barbara Krueger, Carolee Schneemann, and many more. I often invite other friends to participate in the work. Myself and these friends are often the subjects that help intertwine clowns and the censorship of the female body. Through my work I attempt to re-contextualize women's role in fine art as both the subject and the artist. For me art functions as a stepping stone from one experience to the next. Despite what events unfold around me, art provides an infinite stability, and a clear path of reflection and resolution. I believe that art is radical, and I will continue to use it as an expressive outlet as well as a way to critique and analyze.
Clowns slowly began revealing themselves in my artwork, about four years ago, taking on new associations and a multifaceted presence. They represent things like my emotions, anxieties, as well as ideas about the world and our society. I use clowns to represent my experience as an artist and my views on the art world. This openness of my subconscious allowed the clowns to become less about confronting feelings of fear and negativity, like they initially had, and to transform into a catalyst for beliefs and ideations I care about.