B.F.A. Painting and Drawing, University of Washington
M.F.A. Painting and Drawing, University of Washington

I strive to foster curiosity among students about the arts and their many potential benefit sand rewards. I encourage experimentation, nurture individuality and believe that what we tend to view as failures often carry far more valuable and productive lessons than our successes. My goal in class is to present creative problems that require open ended interdisciplinary research and nonlinear problem solving skills. Critical thinking and acclimating to working outside of our comfort zone build confidence in students’ creative abilities and I hope to instill the importance of the questions that we ask in all creative endeavors over any specific aesthetic ideal.

I value a strong connection between my studio practice and teaching which continually challenges me to remain open to new ideas, engaged in the process of learning, and enthused about the creative, social and cultural reciprocity inherent in the classroom.

My research is multi-faceted and has taken on a variety of forms over the years but it has always functioned as an instrument of navigation between society, the sciences and spiritually and supports my belief that creativity often explores issues which lie just beyond our understanding. The questions that arise out of my explorations are at the core of my practice and are often investigated through photography, collage, drawing and sculpture.