I am a multimedia maker who tells stories through my image making. I am understanding my experience as a working-class person in a western capitalist world that is built to erase my existence. Sharing stories is an act of resistance. It is through the expansion of drawing that these stories are assimilated
Drawing from my working-class background in rural, midwestern America I often center the body (the vehicle of labor for a member of the working-class) in my work as both subject and substrate. Fragmented body parts show up repeatedly in my work in the form of decapitated heads and hands. This draws upon the proximity to violence and bodily injury that is so common in my world. This is why tattooing is such a central and healing part of my practice as these drawings are inscribed onto the body by carving into flesh – a chosen violence to the body. I make images that are based off the language of drawing as well as craft. Through the act of sewing and tattooing, I think of these practices as a form of drawing – making my mark by inscribing onto fabric or skin (Both imperfect structures prone to decay). I sew, draw, and tattoo by manual hand tools, with little to no modern convenience or machine. This way of making is prone to flaw – visual markers of the artist’s hand. Using my hands (the body) rather than machine is a tribute to drudgery, especially the kind that occurs in the home.
I sew, draw, and tattoo by manual hand tools, with little to no modern convenience or machine. This way of making is prone to flaw – visual markers of the artist’s hand. Using my hands (the body) rather than machine is a tribute to drudgery, especially the kind that occurs in the home