Drawing on imagery from numerous historical references-tapestries, scenic wallpaper, and genre paintings from Western Europe-as well as scenes from contemporary American life, I create fantastical paintings and installations that explore the contradictions and complexities of human nature. I intentionally reuse images that, regardless of their original context, speak across time and space. The work reflects on cultural displacement and seeks to cut through the viewers' complacency by drawing the viewers in with a studied prettiness of luscious and decorative surfaces. In juxtaposing decorative patterning, saturated colors, and surfaces encrusted with beeswax and glitter with stories about culture and society, past and present, my work challenges the viewer to dissect the layers of painting, and question historical and contemporary ideals. The images are both beautiful and uncomfortable at the same time, a dynamic that echoes the makeup of human existence.