Growing up in Appalachia, I became interested in the overlooked or unseen natural systems that surround us. From the macro to the micro, they persistently weave their way into our experience, revealing change and impermanence in the structures that surround us. This idea feels relevant during the pandemic, as the microscopic world has abruptly come to the forefront of our lives. My hyper-intricate paintings are made up of layered, tactile, humid amalgamations bubbling in suspended states of growth and decay. These processes echo the dense but precarious order in the world. Like map psychologically-tinged inner landscapes, they suggest both the connectedness and strangeness of our experience, making a space for associations from the decorative to the grotesque. Encouraging close viewing, the paintings counter our tendency to think of ourselves as separate from the natural world, a mindset defining how we operate on a personal and global scale with increasingly problematic results.