When COVID-19 began spreading, I found myself on a boat, diving off the shores of Thailand and Indonesia. Diving is an other worldly experience. Underwater ecosystems exist even if we are not there to witness them. On this trip, I couldn’t help but feel the contrast of these two worlds, above and below. Neither feeling dependent or concerned about the other, but in reality, critically intertwined.

As I float through the water, the creature I search for most is the nudibranch, a tiny, difficult to find, brightly colored sea slug. Measuring anywhere from 1 cm to a still small 8 cm, these animals intrigue me beyond their beauty. Nudibranchs consume toxic creatures like jellyfish and anemone, from which they derive their vivid color. A nudibranch can store their victim’s venom,
transferring it from their gut to their skin, sometimes increasing their own toxicity, but often only giving the illusion of harm. It seems extraordinary that they can ingest poison from another
and turn it into something beneficially beautiful.

I am inspired by their ability to absorb the dangers in their environment, quietly converting it into something sensational. By observing nudibranchs on a large scale, the viewer can feel as if they are floating with these small but powerful creatures.
As a painter engaging in an ever-changing environment, I choose to use the negativity that seems
so prevalent in the world right now to create something bizarrely beautiful as a sign of hope that toxic transformations are within our reach.