Photographs serve as a reminder of what once was; a moment that will never be retrieved except in the nostalgic realm of remembering and recreating the past. My work revolves around photographs that are now the only reminders of people who are no longer in my life. Catalyzed by the death of my younger brother, Avery, when I was nine years old, and solidified through my experience as a foster family and my most recent trip to a Ghanaian orphanage this past summer, I get lost in the power an image has to keep these people present, despite being physically out of my reach.

This semester I’ve set out to explore the paradox of these images, as they keep a person present while simultaneously exposing the void their absence has created in my life. As a painter, I am exploring different approaches to recreating these photographic images in ways that express this dichotomy. My most recent works reflect this goal by creating a physical void within my canvas, as the empty silhouette of the lost.