Portfolio

​Using textiles that have been created and manipulated with thoughtful intent are an important part of my work.
In teaching myself the cyanotype process on paper, I realized that it would translate onto silk. Learning to carefully mix the chemicals, I painted each panel that I had previously hemmed. Due to the nature of cyanotype printing, the natural fiber of silk lent itself to using the flora and foliage as subjects.
I had sketched my idea before cutting the pattern and making the slip to create volume for this delicate but incredibly strong fabric. I did several test runs to gauge the amount of time to increase or decrease the intensity of the blue.
This dress looks soft, and delicate, however it has many layers that add to it's overall complexity. The incredible tensile strength of the silk is represents my strength and what I have come through in life over the past year. Though I may resemble a delicate flower on the outside, inside there lies something more that you cannot see.

After being away for a year abroad in France, I came back feeling completely fractured from who I was before I left. The experience had changed and challenged me to step out of conformity. The blocks and random pieces of upcycled wood I found represent the experiences that you do not plan for, ones that simply come across your path. Breaking the visual background frame with the juxtaposed pieces of wood, I began to concentrate on drawing my portrait. It needed to have a visual continuity but show the disjointedness I was feeling.
I wanted to interweave parts of my life abroad by adding pieces of schoolwork and writings.
The background texture was created with a blowtorch to emphasize the lines in the wood. Lines tell a story and by creating the lines with charcoal I echoed the path of wood with fire, that still has a voice that is strong despite the the fact that it has been burnt.

Scholastics National Gold Medal Winner
During the confinement of Covid, I longed to create art that allowed my imagination to wander beyond the constructs of my physical confines.
I discovered that rug making was the perfect way to express my experience being isolated. Through this project, I sought to depict a “virus,” which could show my experience during Covid through creative expression, and designed a sculptural piece that would use a punch-needle technique. My idea represented not just my search for comfort in an unfamiliar time, but also the personal growth that came out of it. I spent several weeks separating strands of yarn, laboriously hand punching every fiber into the monk cloth.
The piece represented my journey through the period of my life which hosted the virus: a virus that spread within me and changed my outlook on the world, my understanding of myself, and proved that I could overcome the challenges that I was faced with.

I created this mixed media piece with the intention of pushing myself to experiment with abstract art, and allowing the artwork to develop naturally by letting my artistic sense take control. I started with a base of acrylic, then layered oil pastels, wax, India ink, and string. This work represents a freedom of artistic expression that I discovered through color, pattern, and texture. 

This is a self portrait that speaks to my temptation. The apple to me is a symbol of technology and how I eagerly eat it while staring wide eyed at the screen. By staring out at the viewer I am engaging with the viewer on a personal level. This seems to be in direct contrast to what my generation does when they are on their devices. I used acrylic paint to articulate my form adding cooler neutrals around my face to project my face forwards. This painting is intentionally made to make you feel awkward by it's gaze. The small scale makes you interact with it on a personal and individual level as you have to get close to it to see the details.

A recent trip during my year abroad to Giverney, France inspired the design for this dress, of which I drew several different versions.
Perusing the upholstery isle, I found this fabric. It had a volume and a heaviness that beckoned to me. Always striving to use unconventional materials, I set to work to create something peaceful and elegant, and reminiscent of the feeling of floating on water.
As my original skirt initially did not have enough volume, I opened up the lining and added a loft to the interior to achieve the look I desired. The lining is a pale pink, giving a complimentary contrast to the colors in the fabric.
The top required distinction of it's own. In looking at it with an editing eye I chose to add a trim to the base that would add character without distracting from the overall cohesiveness of the piece to read as a dress instead of separates.

I created this dress through a fabric I made by hand from an unconventional material - thread!
Rather than sewing together fabrics with thread, I created fabric itself from loose threads that had collected as I sewed. By gluing layers and layers of thread onto plexiglass, I eventually formed a sheet of thread that could be peeled off and and sewn into the form of a garment. The irregular arrangement of the strings represents the chaotic nature of the creative process. This project tested my creativity and enabled me to upcyle waste from my own projects into new and unique art.

Every artist has one piece that sets them on the path. For me, it was this black and white linoleum print that I created of my grandfather. This piece is one of the earliest featured in my portfolio and won me my first art award. Through it, I learned about the process of printing with linoleum, designing and stylizing my image, patiently carving the negative space, and finally inking and printing onto paper. 

This large watercolor allowed me to further develop my painting style and technique. Though the image, I leaned into my whimsical style, depicting a girl deep in conversation with to intriguing forest spirits. 

This charcoal sketch was drawn with a live model. My intent was to concentrate on the way the light reacted on the skin being careful to articulate the proportions with accuracy. Starting with a black background made me cognizant of the immediate contrast of light between the model and the darkness behind. In essence, this was like working backwards. Where I would usually be thoughtful and plan for the lightest values leaving them blank, here I had to thoughtfully consider where the shadows would be. This strengthened my concept of value in my drawing.

My inspiration for this design was based upon my desire to confront and challenge suppressive tendencies that exist within our society. This was my first experience with corset making and the snug fit of the corset, along with the constriction of the rope that entangles the whole of the dress, represents the many standards that are placed on women, limiting their freedom and individuality. The harshness of the thorns is meant to contrast with the light, floral pattern of the upcycled fabric and highlight the meaning behind it.

This dress is a complimentary look to the ready to wear piece "Flora".
I intentionally created a more of avant-garde runway look, experimenting with a wire armature and individual raw silk and organza materials. It transformed into a visual play of light by using the carefully crafted individual petals that contrasted between opacity and transparency. This helped me create the overall sense of movement within the top that brings the viewer's eye upward.

This drawing was a timed charcoal study that I completed in 20 minutes. Through it, I practiced articulating the form with accuracy by using line and shading. I paid close attention to the negative space left by the model's body, and to filling the space compositionally. This drawing was one of many that fill my sketchbook pages as I practiced with a live model over the course of a year.

I created this bag when I attended STEP at NC State this summer for Fashion and Textile Design. This project was an excellent experience to challenge myself to create art in a new environment under strict time constraints. I had the opportunity not only to become familiar with NC State's fashion design program, but also to utilize their unique facilities and resources. It is constructed from all upcycled materials, including deconstructed jeans. recycled pleather, and repurposed trim. 

​This dress was designed from the scrap pieces of another dress that I reimagined in order to minimize my personal textile waste. I cut and sized the various pieces of scrap canvas, before painting them to create a new look. As I pieced them together, they developed into a dress that is both fun and playful, and challenged me to consider how I can reuse materials in new ways.

I was introduced to nudes as a subject for form in France. This drawing was completed as a timed study. My intent was to concentrate on the way the light reacted on the skin being careful to articulate the proportions with accuracy.

I created these pants as technical exercise to be able to create a custom fit pant. Using a pattern, I drew, adjusted, and then readjusted them to fit the dimensions of my model. I taught myself how to sew in pockets, and had the opportunity to use a surging machine to create a clean finish. 
Toile is a French word that means one of two things: the fabric itself or a test garment sewn from a design that can be tested and perfected.
These pants represent both definitions of toile and the many new skills that I will be able to use in my future designs.

​This still life was an opportunity to use the skillsets that I had honed by previously working on black paper, to now add color! I played with the undertones I saw in the fruit and articulated them with clarity and vibrance against the stark background. I was delighted to work with a new medium of chalk pastels that were similar to charcoal but had a greater variety of depth by challenging the warm colors against the cool. I was reminded of how van Gogh used the warm colors to come towards the picture plane and sent the cool ones backwards. In this piece which was timed, I began to understand that there are a variety of ways to create depth through perspective, lines, shading, and color!

​This painting was created in Italy as a plein air piece. I sat at a cafe outside and painted the flowers and cherries I had just purchased from the local market. I was very careful to render the light and how it cascaded in the light of the sun onto this bouquet. When I look at this piece I can still feel the sunshine on my hand while I painted.

This dress is significant to me, as it is one of the very first dresses I designed. I mixed my creative style of art into a new medium, a wearable sculpture, and immediately became entranced by fashion design. The entirety of the garment is made from thick, gessoed canvas. I carefully molded each of the petals over bowls to create their shape, before transforming them into the voluminous flowers that adorn the dress. “Blank Canvas” symbolized the endless possibilities that I discovered as I allowed my normal painting canvas to instead become a textile for sewing, and opened myself to an entirely new form of art.