My work within portraiture aims to use formal elements such as orientation, lighting, contrast, posing, and focus to establish a cohesive environment from which more specific and experience-based meanings can be derived. I’m most interested in form and figure as subject matter, but I bring in secondary elements to emphasize the drama or visual interest of the piece and differentiate each representation of the figure. For example, I’ve used saran wrap, water, honey, and mirrors to distort and intervene in what could potentially be a traditional portrait. I’m less interested in imbuing my pieces with my own meanings and interpretations and instead am interested in manipulating visual elements that inform an individual’s own experience of the piece. That way, there’s greater versatility in how the piece is experienced and allows for a wider range of interpretations. In future iterations, I’d like to explore how a more structured narrative can be implied without being explicit to add depth to the subject’s potential story.