"My work concerns the idea of “paradise” and the complexity that it holds, particularly in reference to my childhood in Miami. The unpredictably beautiful and chaotic forces of nature are exaggerated in my abstraction of Florida ecology. My work frequently includes depictions of lizards, fish, and other animals that I have been fascinated with since my earliest memories. Incorporating this iconography into my work nostalgically connects me to my home as well as allows me to reflect back on my childhood from an emotional distance. This paradoxical interplay of nostalgia and detachment provides an avenue in which I can abstractly channel my inner anxieties. The interactions between my characters are often proxies for myself and serve as outlets to work out complex emotions. Their expressions vary from ecstatic joy to panic, but are never calm. Incorporating these characters into my visual narrative allows me to personalize the worlds that I create." Presented by Shelby Slayden, in partnership with the Student Space Gallery program.