For me, the best part of painting is color and exploring the way paint interacts on the canvas. I am not so much interested in objects in my surroundings, but the feeling or memory of my surroundings. I have been living in Portland for over 4 years and am very inspired by the Pacific Northwest. The colors reflected in my paintings are reminiscent of the land around me. My compositions resemble a landscape seen passing at high speeds and evoke a sense of travel.

For my chaboo I integrated my abstract landscape design with the shape and materials of the bench. It was very pleasing to work three dimensionally, to wrap the painting around the sides of the bench. I chose a more natural pallet to compliment the beauty of the wood, leaving areas unpainted to allow the bamboo to show through.