Paintings - Cultivating Connection

This series of paintings explores the figure in nature and the figure as nature. We, as humans, often see ourselves as separate from the earth and animals or as overseers. Particularly with gardening, we often try to control every aspect. We decide which plants belong and which deserve to be pulled from the earth as weeds. We decide where they should be, how they receive light and what soil composition they live in. We wield our power over our gardens like magicians or gods. This series is a naturalistic approach to portraiture with a touch of fantasy. The figures are posed within garden settings. Each painting reveals the characteristics of the person based on their interactions with the nature portrayed.