Guide to Hiking
O'Sullivan Gallery, Regis University, Denver, CO April 13 - 30, 2023
Artist Statement
How ought we to live? This is a question the Jesuits have explored since the early 16th century, and a question I have been exploring since it was first offered to me during my first day at Regis. Since then, I have established a profound connection to the mountains and wildlife of Colorado and it has greatly influenced not only my art, but my entire outlook on life. I have found that the natural world is a world of ancient wisdoms offered freely to all who care enough to look.
Overtly, Guide to Hiking suggests how we as one species all ought to live as we race deeper in to a new era of unprecedented global change fueled by our own destructive activities. Inspired by my minor in Environmental Studies and my love for scientific illustration, I have created 29 different drawings, paintings and sculptures. They all interact and even burst from their frames, which breaks the fourth wall and invites viewers to intimately investigate them. It is my hope that heightening the audiences’ awareness to intricate details in ecosystems will challenge them to reconsider how they are also connected to the natural world.
Covertly, Guide to Hiking serves as an extended metaphor that answers the personal question of how I ought to live for myself. Three large landscape paintings align with a retrospective look at my journey the past four years. The framed pieces serve as pieces of wisdom to consider throughout one’s journey in life. All in all, this installation as a whole reminds me to take every step deliberately, derive meaning from even the smallest encounters with other life and cherish every summit presently.