Artist Statement 

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As a mother and printmaker, my artwork considers the idea of the maternal. Rather than defining the maternal as a part of fixed identity, my artwork explores the maternal as an energy that all people have the capability of tapping into. Through printmaking, I explore the utter and complete empathy that one can have for another person. Portraits of myself and my children are often how I convey the message of the maternal within my work. Prints of myself caring for and mothering my children are a very blunt way of depicting the maternal within my artwork; however, I also find my children have their own maternal energy that they tap into. This form of maternal is much more subtle and beautiful in its own right. Depicting images of my daughters playing together, or comforting one another when upset, explores the well of empathy that children are able to access.   Additionally, my prints aim to reveal the unseen mental burden of caretaking. I am acutely aware that my children see me as an impenetrable fortress, but that is simply not the case. In my prints, I am able to uncover the vulnerabilities that I have about being a caretaker and the heavy burden that is associated with caring for others. I am able to humanize the woman I am, in addition to the load I carry.    I choose to use printmaking as my primary conduit to convey the message of the maternal, due to the fact that the matrix is an intermediary step between the image and the completed piece of artwork. I am the matrix, the middle step, between my children and the world in which they live. As their mother, I hope to instill an empathy that goes beyond our own home.