My focus is on the production of soft sculpture works that utilize craft materials and techniques. Most of my works are mainly comprised of fleece and various other fabrics and stuffed with foam or Poly Fil, giving them a structure and persona that is soft, malleable, and meant to be handled. For detail work, I experiment with other craft materials such as embroidery floss, puffy paint, and glitter glue, along with other diversified materials. My focus on craft materials stems from a concept of revitalizing and recontextualizing art that is often seen as “less than” and putting it into a fine art setting where the integrity of the work and concept is not diminished by the materials used.
The main concept of my work is to explore childhood, memory, and play. By creating soft sculpture objects and environments, I work to mimic the relationship children have with items like toys, stuffed animals, and fictional media. I pull from my own childhood in memory and experience, utilizing reflection to tap into past emotions and to process them through my work by creating comforting objects. I grew up an undiagnosed autistic girl, so the root of my work is processing and understanding what I found to be comforting in my past and how it still remains comforting now. Though the intent behind my work is one that is very personal, I create my pieces to be inviting and soothing to a broader audience.
The objects and environments I create are meant to be displayed in a way that is inviting to the viewer. My work is meant to be interacted with and played with, so I take every chance to encourage the audience to actively engage with it. Though playing with art may seem to go against the very institution of fine art and what we expect it to be, I believe that allowing and encouraging an audience to connect with a work physically, emotionally, and mentally could broaden the impact of fine art and make it something more approachable and accessible. Not only is this something I find to be achievable through audience collaboration, but the usage of craft material as mentioned before also plays a role in expanding the perception of fine art.
