Adornment

The paintings in the Adornment series explore the human impulse toward ornamentation and adornment—a practice that has accompanied us throughout history. Across cultures and time, we have decorated ourselves and our surroundings to express belonging, identity, and status. Tattoos, embroidered garments, jewelry, and patterned textiles all serve as marks of connection, wealth, ritual, or class. I find this universal desire to embellish deeply compelling.

Working in a bold palette of teal and red, I combine painting with collage and image transfer, layering patterns, textures, and figures. This process allows me to weave together fragments of imagery—botanical motifs, historical ornament, and hand-drawn figures—into surfaces that echo both the richness of textiles and the intimacy of the body. The figures, partially revealed and partially obscured, seem to carry their adornments like coded language, speaking of lineage, memory, and aspiration.

The dialogue between ornament and identity fascinates me: how what we wear or inscribe on ourselves becomes both a shield and a declaration. Through these works, I invite viewers to reflect on the ways in which we all participate in this ongoing tradition—how adornment is not merely decoration, but a vital expression of who we are and how we wish to be seen.