States of Mind, is a body of work inspired by the lives of my friends and family during the year 2021. The year 2021 had been a year of reflection, of new beginnings and has continued to challenge the emotional and physical capacity each of us have to deal with the never ending COVID-19 pandemic. Each painting is a snapshot of an individual's life. Some of the paintings explore the emotional toll of the year, while others explore the joy a new skill or hobby has brought us in these hard times. This series is about the human ability to adapt and survive the most stressful of situations.
While creating this series, I focused on the spaces each individual was photographed in. The lights, the colors and architecture of the spaces all contribute to the intimate setting in each painting. While these portraits are all unique and differ according to the person in them, they express a feeling of empathy and solace. It feels as if you, the viewer, are actually there with the individual in the painting; because although we have been very distant this past year, we can find comfort in knowing we are all going through the same experiences together.
While creating this series, I focused on the spaces each individual was photographed in. The lights, the colors and architecture of the spaces all contribute to the intimate setting in each painting. While these portraits are all unique and differ according to the person in them, they express a feeling of empathy and solace. It feels as if you, the viewer, are actually there with the individual in the painting; because although we have been very distant this past year, we can find comfort in knowing we are all going through the same experiences together.
