When you peel back the layers of external identity markers you’ve gathered over the course of your lifetime of “what you do, where you live, how do people see you” to expose to yourself your honest desires and who you truly are, deep at your core—and chase those desires wildly— only then can you begin to fully bloom.

• 3.75x5”

• gouache + oil based paint marker on board

• UV protective varnish 

I’ve been painting these shapes and lines as a practice in creating within extreme restraint. I’m used to relying on words and letterforms, things I understand well, to communicate. I’m used to being able to get all the art supplies (surfaces, colors) I need from a store. Instead, I’m only using materials I already have with me in Portland. These are my attempts at better understanding the subtleties of simplicity as I downsize my belongings as well.