The Nautilus Series emerged after my relocation from Salem, Massachusetts, to Groton, Connecticut in the summer of 2019. This body of work reflects my evolving relationship with the Groton community and its deep ties to submarines, while also paralleling personal themes of transition, adaptation, and moving in with a significant other for the first time.

Groton, known as the “Submarine Capital of the World,” is home to the US naval submarine base, Nautilus museum, and Electric Boat, the leading submarine shipbuilder since the early 20th century. The series prominently features the SSN 571 USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear powered submarine, depicted in silhouette as a symbolic anchor of the region.

As I settled into life in Connecticut, I gained a new perspective on submarines, military personnel, trades, and engineers, acknowledging both the precision and discipline behind these vessels and their potential for destruction. This duality is central to the series—inviting the viewer to navigate a network of relationships within the compositions, where the submarine and tightly contained flowers serve as layered metaphors

The Series also explores the seen and unseen, reflecting both the hidden nature of submarines beneath the water and the layered, often obscured emotions tied to transition, adaptation, and personal relationships. Through this interplay of confinement and beauty, I want the viewer to feel overwhelmed, lost, and even suffocated within the submarine’s confines, while simultaneously discovering a sense of powerment and attraction—a reflection of both external landscapes and internal emotional states.