“My trip to Bali came with very little preparation, it was a last minute opportunity. This led to no real expectations, but a bigger sense of adventure. One day I stumbled upon these older men carving wooden blocks on the side of the road, I stopped to watch the incredible process. These men were just taking blocks of wood and without any planning or marking anything they carved these blocks free hand into incredible ornamented masks. I loved how due to such familiarity of their materials and what was probably a life time honing their craft, their work came so effortlessly to them. I felt a kinship to this process, because in my pattern drawing I never pre plan or lay out a composition beforehand. You just work, and trust you know what you are doing. Ultimately even with this kinship I felt in the approach, I was left humbled by their talent and presence.

Another aspect of Indonesia that inspired me was the textiles I found, Textiles have always been very influential to my practice, and it is so cool to find something new. I’ve studied and collected books on textiles from all over the world, but wasn't that familiar with the ikat, songket and batik iconography before visiting Bali. Some of their motifs felt familiar, but I was really drawn to the fact that they were more organic, and focused on botanical imagery for the most part. This is something I've been working into my own practice since my travels.

During my trip I made a few ink drawings. I incorporated several subtle symbols and iconography that I saw throughout my stay. It merged seamlessly with the style of work I’ve been crafting for over a decade. Im always looking for similarities in culture, not differences. I strip down complex patterns to their most basic shapes. Even the most elaborate patterns can be broken down and simply seen as basic shapes and colors, but combined and arranged, there are endless possibilities. This is something universally recognized as powerful and necessary by every culture this world has produced.”

Travel diary