Heavy Are The Stones, Yet The River Runs Through Them
A body of work built around shared experiences of trials, tribulations, and how one moved through them.
The Glorious, Irreversible Truth
PanPastel and graphite on paper
40" x 40"
2025
Available through CK Contemporary.
There are moments in life that unlock something inside us — sudden, unexpected, irreversible. A quiet truth we’ve long carried rises to the surface and finally speaks. Once it does, there’s no putting it back. Speaking your truth, even softly at first, can crack everything open — flooding your life with change, discomfort, vibrancy, and beauty you once thought belonged to another version of you. When you let your truth out, it paints the world in your true colors. There’s no undoing it. And it’s absolutely beautiful.
Have you ever cracked your own life open, revealing a truer you?
Retrospect
PanPastel and graphite on paper
28” x 28”
2023
Looking back on one's life, there are many moments that may catch your attention. From fondly reflecting on a past version of oneself, to longingly reminiscing on something that may have gone a different way... Memories are but pieces held together, some factual, others an overlap of what is and what was. These traces continue to echo within us all, and while memories help to shape the people that we are today, it's incredibly important not to lose oneself to the past.
How do your memories stay with you in your body?
The Deep End
PanPastel and graphite on paper
38” x 48”
2024
Life is full of choices. Some are small, seemingly insignificant, while others can be monumental, shifting the course of our lives. Occasionally in these larger choices, we are faced with two distinct routes: we can either remain where we are, fall back into old patterns, and continue in what is familiar; or, we can step into a new phase of life, empower ourselves to face the unknown, and courageously step into the deep end.
When is an instance that you took the plunge into a new, uncharted phase of life?
Storyteller
PanPastel and graphite paper
30" x 23.875"
2025
As our life racks up years, so does our catalogue of collected memories, experiences, and stories. Similar to bodies, stories age and shift. As old memories become distant, new experiences and perspectives impact the way we reflect on the past. Of course, our personal histories are grounded in reality, but inevitably, fragments of time shift — ever so slightly or in big, impactful ways — altering our personal history with the recounting of each tale.
How have your memories changed over time?
The Rewrite
PanPastel and graphite on paper
26.5” x 30.5"
2023
We all hold certain narratives about ourselves - where we came from, what we’ve been through, who we are in the world, etc. These narratives can be adopted from stories others have told us, or from our own inner monologue. Sometimes they become outdated, aren’t doing us any favors, or honestly weren’t that true to begin with. When this happens it becomes easy to get stuck in patterns or beliefs that no longer reflect who we truly are today, nor the trajectory we wish to be on. Realizing that we have the ability to rewrite these inner narratives, change how we view ourselves and present more authentically to the world is an incredibly healing, freeing, and empowering act. Taking charge and living authentically is one of the most beautiful gifts one can give themselves, and our society as a whole.
What does your narrative say about you today, and is there any part you’ll be rewriting?
Without Sanctuary
PanPastel and graphite on paper
34.5" x 31.25"
2023
American society has toxic masculinity woven through its veins. This, inevitably, often leads to many boys (and therefore men) being starved of sensitivity and safety within themselves. They are often not taught nor shown strong examples of men being present, vulnerable, or tending to their own self-care and emotional needs. Rather, there is an ingrained need to “be the protector”, assess “nearby dangers”, or as the Boy Scouts of America say - “Be Prepared”. This sadly leads to an inability for many men be truly present within themselves, trust and accept others, or indulge in healthy ways to treat and pamper oneself. I know if I never let myself access those things, I would always be on edge, too…
How can we embrace our boys and our men and help bring them back to themselves, let go, and sink into a comforting, nurturing space to reconnect and heal? Can we demonstrate how to let our guard down?
Can we help them find sanctuary one relationship, household, or community at a time?
Let Them Fall
PanPastel and graphite on paper
23" x 30"
2023
At the end of the day, we’ve all carried something outside of ourselves home with us. Whether from work, social situations, or even pressures from right inside of the house. Occasionally, this mental clutter can become so prevalent that it seeps deep into our subconscious, blurring the lines between our inner and outer worlds. Suddenly, even our most intimate of spaces can be littered with external challenges, worries, or responsibilities. In these moments, sometimes the best thing to do is to witness the thoughts as they rise, let them fall, and trust that you’ll clean them up eventually, when you have the energy to do so.
What can you let fall today?
There are chapters in our life when we hustle - really hustle - and are actually fortunate enough to see our hard efforts pay off. At the end of a long marathon, when we reach a milestone or achieve a lifelong goal, there is a unique transition period from “this work is mine to carry” to “I’m free to wash myself clean of this”. It's a celebratory, nurturing, and liberating moment that doesn’t last for long; for when we work hard and succeed, the fruits of our labor separate from us, birthing something brand new into the world. And it’s beautiful.
Can you recall that moment when you switched from "working towards" to "the accomplishment of" one of your goals?
No Longer Mine
PanPastel and graphite on paper
23" x 38"
2023