Tiddy Popeye

The Artist

Ever Dream This Tapestry?

Ole Virginy or Bust!

Blue Girl in Repose

EVER DREAM THESE SHORTS?

I know I have 🔥not my original design❗️ “Ever Dream This Man?" Was created by Italian sociologist Andrea Natella in 2008 as a guerrilla marketing scheme. But these shorts were created by me in 2026 because I love playing and having fun in the studio

Screen print on thrifted garments

False Window (Tree of Heaven) detail

False Window (Tree of Heaven)

False Window (Tree of Heaven) is an acrylic painting on glass. This work is made from an antique window that I found on the side of the road. I started working on it last summer when I got back from the beach, and finished it during last winter’s ice storm. In the bottom left corner, a spotted lantern fly in a jar rests on the windowsill.

Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is an invasive species of tree that originated in Asia, but now thrives on every continent except Antarctica. This tree was imported for it’s beauty and ability to thrive in harsh conditions, but now it is causing widespread ecological damage. It grows quickly and spreads rapidly, crowding out native plants. Tree of heaven is also the preferred host of the spotted lantern fly- an invasive bug that destroys native plants and crops. It is very difficult to manage Ailanthus altissima, because when cut back they will simply regrow from the same root system.

But this tree doesn’t know all that. It simply grows and grows, reaching towards heaven as is it’s nature. The tree grows alongside others with which it shares its root system. It performs photosynthesis like any other plant. The tree of heaven and the spotted lantern fly follow the same rule encoded into all life- which is to continue to live, to grow, to thrive. It is not their fault that they sprung into existence in a place where them simply being there damages the world, but the damage is done all the same.

As I painted this tree, I related to it more and more. I am a descendant of colonizers, and I have found myself sprung into a parasitic existence on a land that my ancestors have damaged beyond repair. I imagine myself as the tree of heaven, rooted to a land that I have no claim to, and yet it is the only home I have ever known. The spotted lantern flies are my actions, spreading unintentional destruction in the place that I love. I hold them close and I nurture them on my bark and leaves- I can’t help but to love them.

Unlike the tree of heaven however, I am not rooted in place. I have a mind and I can understand my situation and I have agency to change it. While painting this I asked myself over and over how can I begin to heal the harm that my ancestors have caused, and how can I veer from the path of causing more harm? I love this place, and the people in it- how can I prove that? I still do not know the answer- and if it was that easy to find I would have done it ages ago.

Acrylic Paintings X Color Test Strips

Bug Man!

Absence Portrait (Where’d you go, Jack?)

Oil on found wood pallet, 2024-2025

Neon Fantasy Island Cross Stitch

Precious Objects

Precious Objects

Risograph print of a digital collage of things I’ve photographed at antique stores over the years!

Winner Takes It All

Apartment Backlot