From a young age, so many of us begin to see boxes as a way of life. We stack boxes to spell words. We pile boxes to make buildings and forts. We hide boxes that carry deep secrets and cherished moments. We drive various styles of boxes to and from larger boxes to work, shop, study and pray. In many cultures we also use boxes to preserve and lay our dead to rest.

What about the boxes in our mind?

Mental boxes can be useful and protective, destructive and restrictive. Societal boxes can dictate who we are, what we do for a living, where we live and when we succeed or fail. Some are content to live in those boxes and some work hard to fit in those boxes. How often are we, as individuals, in control of who we are to society? This is what I explore in "Boxes".

In abstract form, I utilized large square canvases and oil paints to create individual boxes that all fit comfortably next to each other. As the idea expanded so did my thoughts on how I could break out of those boxes. I started seeing boxes morph into other shapes. Although these shapes were larger, longer, wider or obtuse, they still fit within the rest of the surrounding boxes. This idea grew and I began to see how just one piece could influence the other boxes around it.

Throughout life we create boxes in our mind and allow society to create boxes for us. We use these compartments to fit in and become someone that we may not necessarily like. As I started to see those boxes and found it was not who I wanted to be. I broke those boxes and made my own shape. I became who I wanted and needed to be for myself. It's a scary idea to break out of boxes, but the feeling of knowing that you're true to yourself is something that can resonate among others.

We're all trying to fit in this world and sometimes it's the discovery that the odd shapes still fit that makes life incredible.