My work explores the contradictions embedded in life experience: growth and decay, beauty and ugliness, joy and sorrow. In my art, I combine paint with collaged, natural elements (flowers, leaves, dirt) to capture the contrary, opposing elements of existence. Through the incorporation of organic materials, my painting-sculptures evolve and decay like living beings. As the natural material deteriorates, the painted and sculpted elements of the work preserve the signs of life. At the same time, my use of these elements calls attention to my presence as an artist in every gesture of paint, transfixed flower, or smear of dirt. In this age of technology, when we are steps removed from nature, it is vital for art to allow the viewer to experience what is physical and alive. By the pairing of lush, floral color pallets with muddier colors, decaying collaged leaves, flowers, and soot, my work immerses the viewer in an expression of the complexities of life.