Early in my studies, I sought to better understand beauty. I paid attention to everyday moments that caught my eye -- a reflection on metal, the highlights on a garbage bag, the blurry background of a photograph, etc. I started painting these moments and began to notice that what interested me most was the blurry intersection of edges and colors, where subjects became less about their identities and more about shapes, colors and light. This led me to focus on the out of focus and, ultimately, was my gateway to abstraction. Though some parts of these paintings seem abstract, they were painted while looking at intentionally blurry photographs I took in my search for beauty. They were my way of capturing a peripheral vision that shifts the second you pay attention to it.