I want to share an important development in my practice. The women which inspired my current body of work are an existing community, and in February I will be undertaking a residency with Sisters of the Valley in California, a group I’ve been in dialogue with for the past year. They are a collective of women combining spiritualism, activism, and service, and they will form the central focus of my painting next term as they so powerfully embody sisterhood, strength, and mutual support.

Living with them will, I believe, significantly deepen and anchor the work, grounding it in lived experience and shared values. Their quiet, feminine strength sits very much at the root of both my beliefs and my research, and I feel this residency will bring additional integrity, depth, and clarity to the paintings moving forward.

This period of embedded research will directly inform the work, grounding it in lived experience and shared values, and strengthening both the conceptual and narrative integrity of the paintings. I see this as materially enhancing the clarity, depth, and positioning of the work as it develops.