Haunted Beauty
Thesis Exhibition | January 20, 2026
Last month, I completed a Masters in Fine Art at Claremont Graduate University. My program culminated in a solo gallery exhibition where I shared paintings and photography of work created over the past two and half years. I hope you enjoy the photographs and artists statement from the exhibition.
Artist Statement - Haunted Beauty
Design is at the core of my work, shaping both my creative expression and artistic approach.
I draw my inspiration from design principles. In my drawings, paintings, and photography, I seek to embody the principles of enduring design, where materials, craftsmanship, and function converge harmoniously. Much like architecture, each element within my compositions acts as a building block, serving a purpose beyond aesthetics.
This structured approach allows for intentionality and precision while leaving room for spontaneity through form, composition, and color. I have a deep connection to nature that extends into my studio practice where seed pods, the ocean, and organic forms serve as a recurring subject matter, each offering unique textures, shapes, and symbolism. The fluid, ever changing rhythm of the ocean, the way the sunlight dances on the waves, and the intricate beauty of something as simple as a leaf spark a deeper exploration and understanding of the world in which I live. These natural elements become studies in organic pattern, texture, surface light, shadow, and form expressed both through my painting and photography.
In my studio, painting is an intuitive process where fluid brushstrokes in black ink and layered gouache washes unfold across maple panels, echoing the movement of water and the curve of a seed pod or the shifting lines of a landscape. The materials themselves become part of the conversation, the smooth surface of maple allowing me to build a delicate layer while the boldness of ink introduces a sense of permanence and contrast. It is a constant negotiation between control and release, letting forms emerge organically while responding to the subtle tension between structure and spontaneity.
Numbers provide another way for me to mark time. They can be deconstructed into shapes and patterns – a reminder of constancy in shifting states of being. Numbers measure natural rhythms such as tides, seasons, and growth cycles. They provide a way to frame or hold onto the cycle by finding order in the seeming chaos. The combination of numbers, repetition, and black and white in the works invites deeper reflection of self, grief, and longing and embarks on a journey of continued self-awareness.
Photography is an intuitive way of seeing the world around me - marking space and time. Venturing out of the studio and taking daily photos became part of my practice many years ago which has allowed me to slow down to take in the world around me. I am a documenter of space and time as a viewer of the built environment and our natural surroundings. Through walking I move through my days with awareness, observing the world around me and using photographs to make sense of my complex place in it.
Haunted Beauty is a captivation of my artistic process that quietly, intimately draws the viewer to seek the part of oneself that is hidden. This depth can be both unsettling and alluring at the same time. As humans, we all experience grief, longing, and sadness dwelling in that liminal space where nostalgia gathers. The soft darkness of memory, fragility and impermanence, and displacement can be found throughout nature as well and still holds sentimental weight. There is a sense of romantic decay; a beauty that is imperfect, worn, or faded, yet deeply compelling.
This blue and black one is cleverly done and looks very chic
Yes, this black one is very good. Particularly the middle one with the fractured 2s