‘Occurrences’ is a body of work that represents social and intimate narratives, by employing spatial relationships that reflect personal relationships. The paintings depict images of long nights, consumption, addiction and nostalgia: regular situations that I find strange and complex. With this body of work, I discovered the relationship between social interactions and the objects that we encounter, use, and leave. Still lifes of cups, soiled plates, ashtrays and utensils were littered throughout these images, intertwined with imbibing characters, and slowly a separate focus began to develop.

The ‘Leavings’ series concentrates on what is left after a social occurrence. I find the residue we leave behind to be compelling: it acts as evidence of how we interact with each other and the objects we use to consume foods and beverages. These images are able to reference a narrative of human behavior and emotions by focusing on the objects that they interact with. Negative space is incredibly important in this series. In several works, I’ve employed the symbol of the plastic party cup, because it represents a culture that is prevalent in my time and place in the world- a culture of quick, easy and disposable. These works tell the story of what happens after the party is over: things are left in forgotten disarray.

The ‘Plastic Party Cup’ series is a way for me to study the symbol of the party cup and what it means to me. Because they are small in size, I am able to make quick decisions about the formal aspects of color relationships and composition that results in having a better understanding of the subject matter. While the series started as “studies”, through repetition they have taken on the form of a fully realized concept, one that is more simple and lighthearted than, but just as valid as my other works.