SELECTED ARTWORK 2016-2020

Artist statement from the show “New Beginnings” at the Appalachian Artisan Center in Hindman, Kentucky, where the works are showcased from November 2020 to January 2021.

“The paintings in this show are a quiet observation of what it means to be an Appalachian youth. In the work Portrait of My Father, the artist is depicted as an infant in the hands of her father. They are surrounded by the picturesque greenery and light that characterizes the mountainous landscape of Appalachia. In the next work, Portrait of A Coal Miner, an unnamed man is depicted, fitted in a coal miner’s uniform with soot on his face. The anonymity of this man serves as a reminder of the numerous men who have sacrificed their physical health and wellbeing to provide for their families by working in the mines. This is related to the artist’s upbringing, as her grandfathers and their fathers before them were proud coal miners. The last work, Portrait of the Mountains, depicts the ephemeral beauty of the sprawling mountains atop Pine Mountain. The artist saw this scene almost everyday throughout her early life and sought to translate the unabashed beauty of landscape to paper. These snapshots of Appalachia serve as a gentle love letter to the artist’s upbringing.”