So There I Was

MFA thesis exhibition In the Laura Mesaros Gallery,  Canady Creative Arts Center, 

West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

March 23 - April 3, 2026

Artist Statement

In my artwork, personal experiences are retold through a cast of animal characters, with the rabbit acting as a stand-in for myself. These scenes focus on adventure, travel, and shared experiences among friends. By transforming these moments into playful narratives, I aim to convey a sense of wonder about life, the joy of shared adventures, and an overall spirit of playfulness.

Play is an important aspect of my work. The ceramic sculptures resemble toys such as dollhouses and pull carts, while the animals reference action-figure-like characters that can be moved about, or “played with,” within the scenes. Architectural structures appear throughout the work, referring to actual places connected to the stories being depicted and functioning as miniature stages for these narratives. This spirit of play extends to the way the sculptures are rendered. Their surfaces and forms intentionally retain a hand-crafted quality, giving them the appearance of objects created through playful exploration rather than tedious refinement.

Because I grew up in the American Southwest, I use animals native to this region to represent myself and my friends. These include the rabbit, raccoon, bison, great blue heron, and roadrunner, along with other characters such as squirrels, skunks, armadillos, and prairie dogs. These animals often appear traveling to unfamiliar places, reinforcing the themes of adventure and travel.

The ceramic “paintings” extend these narratives in a different form. They are rendered on cloud-like shapes that suggest both playful imagery and the nature of memory, as if the viewer is glimpsing moments from the rabbit’s recollections. In this way, the paintings function like visual memories within the larger body of work.

Creating this work allows me to show gratitude for the adventures I have experienced and the people who shared them with me. Through the rabbit’s journey, the work celebrates the wonder of life and encourages a renewed sense of play.