I grew up on the Atlantic Ocean in Connecticut dreaming of the world’s largest ocean, the Pacific. My imagination was fueled by stories from a renowned marine biologist and dolphin trainer, my grandmother Karen Pryor. While some kids dreamed of exploring new planets and meeting Martians, I wanted to learn about the 94 percent of Earth’s species that live under water. 

At Skidmore College, where I studied art, I began to understand the enormous negative impact humans were having on our oceans. I have vowed to decrease my climate footprint.

My passion for the ocean has driven this series of paintings. The paintings are based on images taken with my drone, which I use to capture new perspectives and compositions of the ocean.

This year, I have teamed up with my friend Caitlin Brisson to raise awareness about plastic in the ocean through Exxpedition. She will be sailing around the Pacific Ocean tracking plastic and taking photos of the ocean with my drones. I will be painting images based on her scientific discoveries. I want viewers of my paintings to reconsider familiar seascapes by showing them an aerial and abstracted perspective. I hope that my work evokes a desire to respect and protect the habitat of our fellow Earth dwellers.