Memories, 2024

In September 2024, I had the opportunity to participate in Curio Gallery’s Pocket Art Swap: Memories. For my works, I chose to revisit my earliest oil paintings, recreating them in the small, vertical format of the show. It was an enriching experience. I was able to see where I began as a painter. I could see the evolution of my skills and how far I have come as an artist.

The places I painted were personally significant. They were the lake I would walk around as a child. The farm roads I would drive on my way to and from school. They were the views I observed from the car window when my family would travel to visit my grandparents. These places inspired my love for nature and open spaces. They inspired my sense of adventure. It was in seeing and exploring these places that made me want to become a painter. I wanted to capture the moments I was experiencing; from the feeling, to the physical sensations.

Many of these places have since changed; been developed, overgrown. Some are places I will not be able to return to. These paintings are precious time capsules, tributes to the moments that shaped my creative being.