Over the past year, my work has centered on the interconnectedness between trees, root systems, and my own body through painting, metal casting and fibers. I explore the physicality of trees as a reflection of my relationship to land, family, and personal identity. Utilizing sand molds and ceramic shell casting techniques—including the lost wax organic burnout process—I have cast bronze and aluminum representations of roots, branches, and birch bark. These sculptural elements come together to form a large-scale tree, emphasizing the resilience and vulnerability of natural forms. Additionally, I incorporate painting on cross-sections of tree logs, reinforcing the layered histories embedded within wood and the terrain it inhabits. Sewing with embroidery thread and beading, I incorporate transparency as a tool for metaphor.

An ongoing exploration in metal casting, “Carry on in Resemblance”, the sculpture has elements in cast bronze and aluminum that engages directly with the weight and permanence of material. By translating organic forms into industrial metals, I examine how transformation and preservation exist in tension. The process itself is an act of remembrance, as the molds capture fleeting organic details that are then solidified in a new state.

“I Wish to Live Deliberately” presents a tangled web of branches, illuminated in cool blues and vibrant greens. Inspired by the density of forests and the experience of being enveloped in their quiet, chaotic order, this painting echoes my fascination with the relationship between structure and improvisation. The intricate layering of branches suggests both entrapment and expansion—an acknowledgment of the ways in which nature, like personal history, is at once grounding and unruly.

In “Scrape Out My Sides”, the tension between growth and erosion is made visible through bold, winding lines of violet and green, painted directly onto a raw wood slab. The piece suggests an excavation—both literal and metaphorical—where the grain of the wood becomes a record of time and pressure. This act of scraping and revealing mirrors my own engagement with memory and materiality, drawing parallels between the scars of the tree and those of the body.

My work is deeply influenced by the forests of Western New York, where I grew up. I see all living things as possessing their own energy, and through this belief, I project aspects of myself into the natural world. If I were a tree, I would be a New York ash—scarred by the emerald ash borer yet still standing. The roots of the ash tree, exposed like bones, mirror my ongoing exploration of heritage, memory, and place. Roots serve as both a reminder of permanence and a symbol of change—they can be uprooted, transplanted, and given the opportunity to thrive in new environments. My BFA thesis exhibition merges painting and sculpture to investigate these themes, offering a meditation on growth, decay, and regeneration in both the natural world and the human experience.