trial and error
After moving across the country, taking on a double major, and adjusting to life far from family, my practice felt off balance. What once came naturally now felt uncertain. I rushed through projects, struggled with time management, and often felt stuck when I wasn’t proud of what I was making. In search of direction, I turned to bold color and abstracted forms. I leaned into collage, sometimes as a starting point and sometimes as the final piece. Over time, my work began to shift. I found myself drawn to a softer palette and a more nostalgic mood.
That shift deepened during my junior show, in the midst of a demanding semester. I felt a strong pull toward the innocence and wonder of childhood, and that longing began to surface in my work through themes of memory, nostalgia, and home. As the year came to a close, I became aware of how little time I had left in Malibu. That shift not only marked a turning point in my work, but carried me into the final chapter of my college practice with greater clarity and intention.
Still Life, oil, 16"x14", 2021
Plein Air Study - Leo Carillo, oil, 8"x10", 2021
Plein Air Study - Santa Monica Mountains, oil, 8"x10", 2021
Life in Fragments, oil, 24"x60", 2021
Don't Touch, Mixed Media, 48"x72", 2021
Untitled, oil, 48"x60", 2022
A Dream, Mixed Media, 24"x36", 2021
Untitled, Collage, 16"x20", 2022
Deja Vu, acrylic on canvas, 48"x48", 2022
2005, acrylic and oil, 48"x60", 2022
"Deja Vu" and "2005" hung together at the Pepperdine 2022 Junior Show
Hendry's, acrylic, 2022
Estate, charcoal on paper, 24"x36", 2022
Summer in Cinque, oil, 8"x10", 2023
Malibu Collage #1, mixed media, 18"x24", 2023
Malibu Collage #2, mixed media, 18"x24", 2023
Beach Walk (Commission), oil, 16"x16", 2023