drawings & paintings

My journey as an artist began with lessons in drawing and painting. My earliest teachers — Heather Barros, Ida Pearle, and Henry Finkelstein — had me fill sketchbooks and work with traditional materials. I spent years working with oil paints before I picked up in high school the much easier medium of acrylic! Their classes were the most pivotal to my artistic practice — even more so than any one taken in college — because they allowed me to explore the beauty and playfulness and search that is art making. To spend time away from screens, I still enjoy working physically. Often, I’ll incorporate physical practices into large projects to give it a more personal touch. But as shown in the pieces here, I also try to spend time painting and drawing for the sake of painting and drawing alone — sometimes for commissions, but more often as an escape into that playground of discovery and possibility.

A framed mirror on the ground reflecting a carved sculpture of a woman's face and shoulders. The background shows a tree trunk and outdoor surroundings.
A colorful painting depicting a backyard scene with green grass, bushes, and tall trees with brown trunks. There is a pool with a white fence and a dog sitting on the grass, looking towards the pool. On the right side, part of a house with horizontal siding is visible.

River House

Alexis with Quincy

A painting of a woman with curly brown hair holding a small dog with pointed ears, wearing a light-colored striped shirt, against a dark background.
Black and white sketch of a man with a mustache, sitting at a desk with papers, a computer, and a cup. The man is smiling and smoking a cigar.

My Room

Coco

Detailed black and white sketch of a French Bulldog in a resting position, drawn with crosshatching and fine lines.
Watercolor painting of a person riding in a boat on a river, surrounded by trees with fall foliage, under a blue sky.

Current River, MO

Freshman Year

A painting on an easel depicting a group of five young people smiling, with buildings, trees, and a blue sky in the background.

Untitled

Abstract mixed media artwork featuring purple, black, red, green, blue, and yellow colors with dynamic strokes and geometric shapes.

Giotto’s Companile

Photo of the Florence Cathedral and its bell tower in Florence, Italy, with a clear blue sky in the background. The photo is taken from the street with tourists and sketchbooks in the foreground.

Florence Sketchbooks (tap for compilation video)

Ghost of Berlin

A young man with dark hair, glasses, and a beard, wearing a hoodie and a T-shirt, taking a selfie in front of a bookshelf filled with books.

Uncle Brian

Two cartoon pineapples, each with a smiley face, wearing shoes, and holding small slices of pizza. The background is a plain blue.

People on Pizza

Black-and-white painting of a smiling man in a polka dot shirt and a woman with long dark hair leaning on his shoulder, both standing in front of a curtain and decorative wall.

Ben and Rachel

Archive:

A painting of a nude person with light skin, covering their face with one hand, against a textured reddish-brown background.
A person lying on a bed wearing a striped shirt and glasses, with a blanket and a stuffed animal or pillow around them, in a room with cluttered furniture and windows.
Painting of a house with stone and wood exterior, surrounded by green trees and plants, with a sidewalk in front.
An abstract painting of two human figures, one with a yellow and green tail-like shape, and the other with a pink and purple shape, sitting on geometric forms with a mix of pink, green, and blue background.
A woman lying on the floor, sleeping or resting on her side, in a room with chairs and tables. She is wearing a green jacket, white shorts, white socks, and black shoes.
An abstract painting with various green, brown, purple, and blue colors, depicting leaves, stems, and rocks.
A black and white sketch of a person sitting at a desk, working with papers and a pencil. The setting appears to be an indoor workspace with a window in the background.
Sketch of a woman standing with one arm raised and the other extended downward, wearing a sheer outfit, with hair styled in a short, layered cut.
A sketch of two men standing and facing each other, dressed in pants and jackets. The man on the left has long hair and a beard, with his hands in his pockets, while the man on the right has his hair tied back and is holding some sticks or a bow.
A black and white pencil sketch of a woman sitting with her back turned, long hair, and a relaxed pose.
A black ink sketch of a person riding a horse.

More Work

Book Designs

Cards

A black outdoor poster displays the word 'SÄRGE' repeatedly in white Gothic-style font, with small text at the bottom reading 'Arts & Literary Magazine,' in a city setting with trees, buildings, bicycles, and a streetlamp.

Posters

Black and white sketches of iconic Italian landmarks including St. John Baptistery, the Arno River with boats, Palazzo Vecchio, and Piazzale Michelangelo, with a boy reading a book and taking photos
A red book with a black spine, white stitches on the binding, and text on the cover that says "Mother Tongue" and "by Amy Tan." The book is placed on a light-colored surface with a blurred background showing windows and natural light.