This series is an archival project with a loose narrative centered on a family sending their child off to war. The child’s identity is intentionally ambiguous, representing the universal figure of a soldier rather than a specific individual. The inspiration for this work draws both from global political contexts and from my own family’s experiences with war. On my maternal side, my family are refugees who fled the Salvadoran Civil War in the 1990s. While I did not live through my mother’s hardships, I base my work on the stories she shared and the complex history of the conflict.

The series includes three distinct pieces: a large-scale collage, a zine, and a “goodie” bag. The collage explores the feminine experience of loss and resilience, focusing on the role women play when men leave for battle, often becoming the sole providers for their families. The zine tells a chronological story through headlines and politically charged text, starting with the initial draft and ending with the child’s departure, leaving their fate open-ended. The “goodie” bag contains a collection of ephemera specifically related to the Salvadoran Civil War. The items inside—stickers, temporary tattoos, and a notepad—are childlike, symbolizing the innocence before war and how it is gradually stripped away by the brutality of conflict.

Azulejos is a series of intaglio prints that figuratively document select members of my family that have passed on. I aimed to capture their spirits in each print based on how I knew them and how my memory of each person lives on. The designs of each print are reminiscent of Portuguese tiles (Azulejos); the focus being on the intricate patterning that surrounds the central imagery. This style is familiar to me, I grew up surrounded by this style of tiling in my childhood home and it was a very common feature in the homes of those around me. They were often in high traffic areas of the house, displayed in places where they can be appreciated by those who lived there and those who were just passing through.

These “tile” prints celebrate the life that each of my relatives have lived, but they also capture the fragility of their memories. In my experience, often people fade and I start to only recall who they were as a whole instead of the small parts that make them unique. My focus has been on capturing all of the details on who they were symbolically in hopes that one day I will always be able to remember. Each print stands as a reminder to the importance of the impact that those around us have, even when they are no longer physically present.

This project showcases photographs of plant life from the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA. My goal was to explore nature within the context of a carefully curated environment, where plants and humans are deeply connected. These plants, often bred for human use and arranged for aesthetic appeal, exist in a space where their natural forms intersect with human intention. In my photographs, I focused on capturing the subtle details that might otherwise go unnoticed—curling tendrils, overlapping leaves, delicate petals, and the intricate veins of foliage. These features, often abstracted by shifting light and shadow, highlight the hidden beauty that surrounds us, yet is easily overlooked in the rush of daily life. In the conservatory, this beauty becomes more visible and worthy of attention.

The series invites viewers to reflect not only on the wonder of nature, but on our responsibility to protect it. It is more than a simple collection of plant images; it is a window into a space where life, texture, and light converge to create something extraordinary. Through these photographs, I hope to encourage a deeper appreciation for the delicate balance of growth, decay, and renewal that defines the natural world. Each image serves as a quiet call to pause, look closer, and consider how we might care for and preserve the environment that sustains us.

These paintings represent an exploration of the pochoir technique and its relationship to both natural and man-made forms. Using hand-cut stencils derived from organic shapes and geometric patterns found in my surroundings, each piece investigates the interplay between color, shape, and space on the page. The works aim to create a dialogue between the natural world and the constructed environment, inviting viewers to consider how simplicity in form can evoke complex emotional responses.

In the first four paintings, I employed a palette of primary colors, white, and green to highlight the elemental nature of the composition, allowing the colors and shapes to speak on their own terms. In the final four works, I introduced hand-mixed colors, creating softer pieces while implementing the same shapes. Through this shift, I sought to expand the language of color, enhancing the emotional resonance and subtle complexity within the minimalist framework. These pieces are an investigation into the harmony that can exist between form, color, and composition when pared down to their most essential elements, celebrating both the beauty of simplicity and the rich variety that even the simplest palettes and forms can offer.