Artist Statement

My recent body of work is a group of paintings illuminating the coexistence of two conflicting emotions – childlike excitement and the bittersweet feelings for changing seasons of life that accompany aging. This body of work was inspired by the first line of T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland “April is the cruelest month.” The verse resonated with me as it expresses the temporary nature of spring, which I connected to one’s childhood, a short and vibrant season of growth. The spring season is the central theme for my current body of work, using motifs such as flowers, trees, skulls, and rain to represent the temporary nature of life. Good Girl, the central figure of my work, is a representation of me as a child form. Because of her childlike traits, she is able to focus on the rawest emotions and feel them in various degrees. These paintings exhibit Good Girl’s wish for the spring season to stay yet captures her awareness of its transient nature. The body of work is intended to elicit a sense of nostalgia and sorrow for the fleeting moments. Good Girl, who is infantile and has feline characteristics, demands sensitive attention and empathy from her audience.