Close Wilderness is a collection of paintings that draw viewers into the small, wild worlds that surround us: the beetle at work beneath a fallen log, the fungus threading through soil, the moth resting in blooming gaillardia. Working in intricate layers of watercolor, I construct intimate ecosystems where insects, fungi, and wild plants are encountered as living presences rather than specimens or symbols.

My practice centers on the overlooked and the easily dismissed. I am interested in how attention transforms perception; how slowing down to truly observe the natural world can shift discomfort into curiosity, and curiosity into empathy. Much of life unfolds at a scale and pace that modern routines encourage us to ignore. These paintings invite viewers to look closely, to linger, and to encounter forms of life that often exist just beyond everyday awareness.

My work emerges from an awe and appreciation of the unseen and misunderstood, and acts as an introduction. Through these small, biodiverse environments, I hope to spark moments of

recognition and wonder, allowing viewers to form their own connections with the creatures and ecosystems around them. If care begins with seeing, then these works offer an opportunity to practice seeing differently.

My hope is that something encountered here lingers. A beetle remembered. A tangle of fungus recalled on the walk home. That lingering becomes the beginning of a connection carried beyond the gallery and into the wilderness that is always quietly close.