My work explores industrial farming and the impact of it on animals, communities, and the environment. Through my work, I was drawn to what I observed and learned through my experiences working around Hog confinements in Iowa. Spending time around industrial hog confinements meant seeing things that were uncomfortable and at times overwhelming. I realized that aspects of the industry, how farms operate, carry a deep emotional weight when you witness them firsthand.

I was inspired to address industrial farming based on conversations with others that drove me to make work that informs and invites reflection on how our food is produced.  Agriculture is vital to our society, yet only a fraction of people know the depth of the industry because it is so far removed from everyday life. Through this work, I’ve come to present industrial farming in a way that viewers are invited to look closer, ask questions, and reflect on the impact of these systems.

My process of creating my work is through printmaking, mainly lithography. Each piece begins with careful study of the environment and the systems I’m depicting, but I also let memory and emotion guide the composition, the use of light, and the details. In the process of my work I am drawn to a quiet tension between documentation and personal perspective. To the small moments that linger; empty quiet moments, the traces of human labor and the mundane horror of industrial farming. These details carry stories that might otherwise go unnoticed. Ultimately, this work has deepened my understanding of industrial farming and how far the effects of the industry extend to and I hope to continue developing this series and dive deeper into the environmental impacts.