My work analyzes vacation mentality, the aesthetics of leisure, and what it means to live your best life. Channeling the saturated, candy-colored exuberance so often found in resorts and beach towns, my paintings abstract architectural details while incorporating escapist iconography. From palm tree silhouettes, resort wear patterns, and sugary cocktails served with tiny paper umbrellas to the iconic Brazilliance/Martinique banana leaf wallpapers and David Hockney’s backyard pool. I am intrigued by the space they occupy in our collective imagination as evocative symbols of the so-called good life: a place to get away from it all. The titles I use are phrases directly lifted from promotional materials for vacation destinations that encourage us to imagine an existence in which we will be our happiest selves, as long as we remain within the fantasy of paradise. By being entirely serious about the unserious, my work questions the value we assign to play and the formulaic allure of the tropical getaway.

Residencies have been an integral aspect of my artistic practice. Thank you to Villa Lena in Tuscany, Italy; the Mudhouse in Crete, Greece; Pocoapoco in Oaxaca, Mexico; the Sam & Adele Golden Foundation; 100 West Corsicana; and the Vermont Studio Center for facilitating such transformative experiences.