I lived abroad for 15 years and recently moved to Portland Oregon where I am concentrating on ceramics and painting. During my years of travel, I was immersed into many different cultures and always tried to learn as much of the local language as I could. I am fluent in Mandarin and Spanish in addition to having knowledge of many other languages. In total, lived in approximately 30 countries, seldom returning to the United States. These experiences have shaped my artistic work and my character.

The focus of my travel was to conduct independent research into ancient cultures and draw similarities between them. The theme of my artwork, regardless of medium is to connect cultures and civilizations emphasizing all people are from one human race. Last year I was working from Old Cairo a ceramic center which was founded in the 10th century. Egyptians have been making pottery since 2500BC. The ancient traditions and techniques are weaved into my sculptural pieces. I hand craft my glazes and mix my own underglaze pigments. I appreciate the ancient history of ceramics and honor its organic origins. My work is a reflection of age-old techniques seasoned with surrealism and religion.
I moved to China from Peru in 2014, I spent 5 years total in Asia. Over these years, I traveled to most East Asian countries researching the culture, art, and religion.

In 2016 I moved to Lhasa to study Tibetan language and oil painting at Tibet University. During my stay in. Lhasa, I underwent training in traditional Buddhist thangka painting at Dan Ba Rao Dan Thangka Institute. Asian themes and languages are very influential in my work. The cultures I have studied are fundamental and inexhaustible sources of inspiration. My work aims to translate the traditional and archaic into a contemporary tongue.
I have completed exhibitions in the USA, Greece, China and Egypt.

Metamorphosis

This collection of work is an exploration into the phases of life and the transformations we endure during the human experience and what we will encounter after this phase of existence expires. The Tibetan Book of the dead can also be translated into the Book of Life, it is the book of transformation. It states that life is an endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth, Samsara, in Sanskrit. In Buddhism, all of life is considered an illusion and in a constant state of change and transformation. It is referred to as “Anicca” in Sanskrit, meaning impermanence. I selected four cultures that prevailed most influential in my life. I choose the number 4 because in Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan, phonetically it sounds-like the word “die”. Four also represents the four direction. The cultures I chose were; Mexico, Aztec, Egyptian, Greek, and Tibetan. These locations were transformational in my life. From these four cultures I chose a deity from each to construct a mask using the traditional Tibetan technique that I learned in Lhasa. The deities respectively are Xolotl, Anubis, Hermes, and Yama.

I use cross-cultural parallels in my work to draw similarities between different cultures. Hermes is a divine trickster and the god of travelers. There exists a hybrid form Hermes and Anubis in Greek mythology, Hermanubis. Xolotl and Anubis are both canine gods. Yama is present in the religions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Zoroastrianism. These four deities serve as assistants after death and guides into the afterlife. I painted the masks in the traditional imagery and rendered them wearable. The masks were used for a photography project shot at different locations in Cairo and Fayoum.

I use a Fujifilmx100f and shoot in high resolution. I plan to include large prints in the exhibit. My ceramic pieces incorporate ancient Chinese characters. There are 6 main types of Chinese script, I use primarily the Bronze, Oracle, and Liushutong characters. I have studied Chinese calligraphy and philosophy while living in in China. I will include ceramic sculptures in the exhibit. This body of work is a quest into the possibilities of human consciousness. The potential of the mind is vast and many religions have techniques and methods for expanding one’s mind and consciousness. Nirvana is the goal for Buddhists, a state where one is free from suffering and one can escape the endless wheel of Samsara. Fanaa is a similar term in Islamic belief that means to die before one dies. The annihilation of the ego, a concept quite similar to the Buddhist theory. Most religions include a permanent divine state of consciousness. My work examines reality itself, what we consider to be reality and the changes we experience during and after the life experience. This project also focuses to unite cultures and contrasting belief systems.