MIAD Senior Thesis overview

Artist Statement

My deeply rooted curiosity of nature and landscape has been nourished since before I could speak. I was taught how to build fires, climb trees, pitch tents, canoe up and down rivers and march along a trail for miles. Moving to the city made me realize how reliant I was on the time I spent in the backcountry. During each passing year, I longed for my time in the raw landscape more and more. Nature had always been an underlying theme in my work, but had never been the central focus. It wasn’t until recently that that I realized how important it truly is to me. I began to work with en plein air techniques and in a fashion similar to landscape artists of the past. I began taking these studies back to the studio to reference when creating larger works. By fully embracing the concept of nature, I was able to use light, color and texture, or lack thereof, to guide the work and truly represent the feeling and experience I have when in nature.

Call to Action

The rising concerns surrounding the environment have encouraged me to continue my work in landscape. It is more important now than ever to protect, restore and care for the environment. As an artist, I have the unique opportunity to be an advocate for a greater cause. As many artists before me have done, I have chosen to be an advocate for the environment. My work not only seeks to represent its wonder, but to create a deeper level of engagement between the viewer and the environment that we have left.