After spending the first 19 years of my life in a quiet suburb—far from the noise and hustle of Toronto—I found myself at OCAD. The transition between the two was significant. During my first two years of school, I was anxious about my surroundings and the people around me. I became hesitant with every step I took, nervous about every corner, second-guessing every action.
I spent the next two years making the same commute many times a week and, over time, I supressed my normally extroverted personality in order not to draw unwanted attention to myself. This meant staring at the ground, watching my steps and observing.
This period of my life was full of change, for better and for worse, but I distinctly remember observing the details of the paths we all walk in our everyday commute. These anxious and uneasy emotions forced me to notice things I had always overlooked.
Each of my paintings is based on that same commute I began years ago: detailed, focused, and personal experience of the ground we walk on every day. I capture the cracks in the concrete, the garbage, the dirt, the snow, and the colors we step on to get where we need to go. I wanted to capture the repetition and the beauty, but also—in contrast—the mundane and gray parts of the pavement to reflect my emotions at the time.
