I paint modern landscapes as seen from the car, large scale construction, and explorations of satellite imagery.
When our society pools resources, engineers and builds at the peak of our abilities, we build multi-tier highway intersections, high tension long distance electrical infrastructure, and we build enormous buildings very quickly. Highways and power lines as landscape are illustrative of this moment in our culture, like a street artist landscape of aqueducts hinting at the daily lives of bygone Romans.
Large scale construction, with its interesting patterns and shapes, is ubiquitous in Austin. The rapid erection of more steel and concrete hardscape is concurrent, causal, and reflective of the rapid loss of nature. Urban construction as landscape speaks to the current vision of human progress and growth as its own monoculture, leaving little room for anything else.
In recent years, satellite imagery has become detailed and easy to access. A lover of aerial photography, maps, and plan views, I enjoy exploring the world from above using Google Earth Pro. I began to illustrate the patterns humans make at different densities, examples of urban land use at a scale that suggests models or toys, and visible concentrations of wealth and infrastructure as it relates to physical constructed barriers (like highways and railroads).
I also build custom furniture with a focus on multi-functionality, and statement pieces that add delight to a space, like bookshelves that double as dollhouses and can be played with from both sides.