Paper has always fascinated me as I have a long history of working with fibers. As a child, my mother sewed our clothing and taught me to darn, stitch, and fashion different items. A textile’s forgiving elements or its rigid structural properties contained equal potential for my imagination around their use and application. These informal beginnings inspired me to seek out coursework in textile sciences at a young age, giving me an alternate perspective on the inherent behaviors of these materials and ultimately turning my studies and attention toward paper, the central component of my artwork. 

My practice thus far has incorporated collage work, hand dying, marbling, papermaking methods, and carving techniques. The goal in the studio is to experiment with the fibers and see how they respond to the manipulation of my hands and tools, to honor their intrinsic characteristics and their cultural significance, and to see them in visual dialogue with the other elements as each layer is laid down. Sometimes the works highlight the process of research and aesthetics, other pieces reflect a more intuitive or personal relationship to an experience, a person, or a place.

These studio decisions often connect to my own family’s immigrant story, which is inextricably interwoven with cultures from Japan and Polynesia. I was told tales of these rich communities cooking and eating together, sharing ways to embed their customs and traditions into their new surroundings. These conversations opened up my world and taught me respect for the rituals and connections that make up the surface of daily life and to look for hidden clues and references. The work I make is, at its core, about the layered history contained in surfaces, and I continue to seek out what can be learned from these distinct, sometimes subtle, always impactful materials.