Overflow- Artist Statement

In “Overflow”, I explore the way the body interacts with clothing through restriction, restraint, excess, or a combination of these forces. By using my own body as a model for this exploration, I intimately examine how folds of skin and the presence of weight can be viewed. Larger bodies are often seen as “undesirable” in popular culture and media and yet are something that have and will always exist. My work looks at the body objectively and truthfully, focusing on the way it interacts with its space through shadow, contortion, and overflow.

 I utilize tightly cropped compositions to evoke the feeling of close self-examination, whether that be through the lens of a camera or mirror. To portray these interactions between my own skin and clothing, I use washy layers of oil paint, built up to create dynamic skin and texture, paired with harsher lines that mimic the clothing containing me. I aim to emphasize the tension between these moments of spilling and rigidity, creating pieces that highlight the discomfort of shaping your body to accommodate a space, not the other way around.

I take moments from my own life that I am told to suppress in my outward appearance, and I instead explore complex interactions between opposing textures and colors, aiming to highlight the bodies we inhabit. By creating honest depictions with care, I communicate to my audience that these interactions are not inherently “undesirable”, and instead deserve curiosity and acceptance. Who’s to say what interactions between folds, shadows, and contortions are unattractive? All bodies can hold beauty through how we treat and view them.