In my thesis, The People in the Paper Woods, I have been creating performative garments and objects, a portable forest, and interactive drawings. I see the garments as the wardrobe of my illustrations, a way to wrap myself and those around me in my world. They are a portal — narrative, interactive and transformative like the flip of the page in a book.
This collection of work creates a unified folktale for myself; one that touches on my lineage, childhood, and relationships. I make humorous and exaggerated interpretations of my relationships and feelings towards my loved ones. My characters travel together in a never ending herd. They can shrink down so small and be carried in the pocket of their best friend, and they can make a giant quilt big enough to tuck in everyone they love. In all the mediums my work takes, I aim to create an experience of connection and magic with my viewer that conveys the love and wonder that my characters experience in their world.