Installation View:
UNSAID WORDS
2023
Conversation, watercolor, ink, gouache, wax pastel on watercolor paper, mirror
Each painting 18x24”

UNSAID WORDS is a socially engaged portrait project created from intentional connection and conversation between myself and individuals in my community of Portland, Oregon, exploring individual experiences of moments and words gone unspoken to those both living and dead. The project documentation is executed as large scale watercolor paintings with the Unsaid Words scrawled on top, mixed between faces to allow a layer of anonymity between the 20 subjects. The mixing of the words away from the original speaker also asks the audience to ponder who could have said what and find which words resonate within themselves. The work aims to spark questioning, inner reflection and connection to others. 

In Summer of 2022 I reached out to individuals in my community of Portland, Oregon with the inquiry of Unsaid Words. I was mindful in my inquiry to converse with a diverse group of people. I wanted viewers to be able to find someone that they can identify with in some way when viewing the exhibition. My collaborators range from a few very close friends, to classmates, to people I have briefly met, all the way to complete strangers I "cold called" on social media.

We met up, one on one, face to face, and I audio recorded our conversation and took photographs of them to use as references for their portraits. The conversations ranged from 15 minutes to over an hour. During this process I cried with strangers on public benches at Laurelhurst Park. I heard the deepest thoughts of people I consider to be closest to me. Together, we made connections rooted in something much deeper than a passing hello.