2025 marks the 30th anniversary of my dad’s death, and my 30th year as an orphan. For some years leading up to this one, I’ve felt a wave of grief resurfacing, this time focused on how little I know about my dad, mom, and brother because of how young I was when my mom and brother went missing and my dad died. My current body of work is a way for me to reconnect with the family I’ve lost. My current series, And he was my Dad… includes realistic oil paintings, relief prints, and a hand bound book of watercolor illustrations touring my childhood neighborhood.

For each of my artworks, no matter the medium, my process for choosing subject matter for this series is similar. I have many boxes of my dad’s photography that he meticulously labeled and dated as he had each roll of film developed over a span of 20 years. Most of the photos are still paired with the original film itself, so I carefully keep the photos as they were originally organized. I take my time setting the photos out on my desk, noticing who is in each photo, appreciating what my dad saw each moment that he decided was worth capturing. I’ll set aside the photos that naturally strike me in some way. Often it’s the people in the photo, the composition, or the memory it evokes that becomes the spark for my imagination.

Once I select an image, I decide on medium. Mostly, it depends on the photo and my own physical capacity as a disabled artist. I move between mediums based on how the photo has aged over the years or the resources at hand, as well as how much pain is pulsing through my hands, my back, or my feet at the given moment. My prints are often smaller scale while my paintings are often large scale.

These are digital pieces showcasing my understanding of perspective, value, light and shadow, and sequential art.

This collection includes paintings I did while I lived in Portland, Oregon.