Blind by Definition
Blind by Definition is a series that examines how language constructs and distorts cultural perceptions of vision. Drawing from dictionary entries, I examine how blindness is defined, labeled, and reduced to a metaphor. These seemingly neutral definitions carry centuries of assumptions, framing blindness as absence, deficiency, or failure to perceive.
Unforeseen Impact
Unforeseen Impact is a series that documents everyday collisions as comic moments, drawing from my lived experience navigating the world with low vision. I use humor to explore how objects in public pathways can injure, embarrass, or exclude. By highlighting these impacts, the work invites viewers to consider the reality of moving through spaces designed with the assumption that everyone can see unanticipated obstacles before encountering them. These assumptions not only hinder access for the blind and low vision community but also underscore how barrier-free design enables everyone to move more comfortably through those spaces.
Sight Gag
Sight Gag is a series of paintings that appropriate and reframe imagery from the 1950s theatrical animated shorts featuring Mr. Magoo and the 1977 Scholastic comic book, What’s New, Mister Magoo?, to examine how ableism is embedded in popular culture and shapes perceptions of blindness and low vision. Through humor, irony, and visual reinterpretation, the work challenges the stereotypes these images perpetuate while exploring both systemic ableism and the internalized attitudes that can take root within the blind and low vision community. By turning the joke back on itself, the series invites viewers to reconsider what has long been accepted as harmless entertainment and confront cultural assumptions.
The Faith of Knowing
Crossing the boundaries of time, stories shape our understanding of the world and inform my artistic practice. This work delves into the narratives that have shaped my comprehension of life’s mysteries, particularly those shared by my Irish immigrant father, whose illustrious tales captivated my childhood imagination. Influenced by visual storytelling mediums like picture books, cartoons, and newspaper comics, I draw from materials deeply rooted in my upbringing as the son of a painting contractor, using home siding, book pages, and house paint to recontextualize forms from memory. This process fosters connections between images, text, and materials, exploring the rich mashup of narratives surrounding Christianity, heritage, identity, and the origins of life.