“Home and the idea of a haven have been obsessions since I was very small. The idea that we deserve safe and protected places to exist seems fundamental for us to thrive. I return to the places near where my family is from and document them over and over. Many are abandoned and I watch their slow decline. In some cases, I get to see their renovation and care; the personification of hope. I’m recording a specific history and trying to find out as much as I can. I imagine who might have lived in these places and some cases, I know the story. I asked my grandfather once about a house I had painted; what happened to the people and why it was abandoned then torn down. He told me a story of work gone and taxes due. I hoped that by painting it I had paid some small homage for remembering at least.”