Alone at Night
Alone at Night
Works in Progress 2023
These pseudo-landscapes and talismans reflect a transitory period in my life—though, aren't all periods of life, in some way, transitory? The neon underpaintings reference the immediacy of Impressionism, yet my process is deliberate and slow. I often rely on external props and sculptural attachments to expand on a single thought or to raise new questions that unfold within, beside, below, or above the painted composition.
I recently moved to a small town in a rural area without a car, so I walk a lot—especially at night. My nearsightedness (and my tendency to forget my glasses) heightens my perception of shadows, and I often sense an unfamiliar presence in the dark. As I walk home—from work, from class, from the grocery store—my mind wanders: Who is watching me? How can I protect myself? How can I engage? These questions and moments of quiet tension are part of what inspires this work. But once the making begins, it is the process itself—the paint, the color, the play—that drives me forward.
This series is intended to offer a joyful representation of my acceptance of this new chapter—or perhaps, it will serve as a tool to access that sense of peace.