My creative practice is fueled by very particular underlying ideas that remain constant within my work, regardless of the form or medium. It reflects a deep interest in questioning power dynamics (often of a media and technology-driven culture,) the psychology of manipulation, equity and the value of work and labor, and also domesticity—often studied through the lens of monotony. Key threads woven throughout my work are those of intent and purpose. I seek to blur boundaries and recontextualize information in order to redefine perception. My work includes video installation, music composition and soundscape, often with collaborator Carlos Rosas, as well as performance, experimental animation, painting, and collage. We have started three studios including Santa Clarita Design Studio (1996), Rosas Studio (2001), and Blob Studio (2020). Our interest in animation led to the conception of our newest studio, which focuses on entertainment centered design development, production, and post-production of animation, multimedia content, CG graphics, and motion graphics. Currently, the studio is working on an animation series pilot.

I have been on the Digital Arts and Media Design faculty in the School of Visual Arts at Penn State University since 2005. My creative research and practice have always informed the discourse of my teaching and course development. Through the lens of technology as it relates to our media driven culture, my approach is to help students connect their Digital Arts and Media Design education with the broader sense of what it means to exist within a technology-driven, media culture. Among my goals for my students is to be able to understand and articulate connections and develop better self-awareness. I am also focused on helping my students understand that visual communication is content based and synonymous with research. They must learn what drives them to knowledge and understanding—how they dissect information and what systems and constructs they develop to communicate ideas.  I have developed curriculum and written courses for New Media, Digital Arts and Media Design, and General Education, with extensive knowledge and experience in online learning including being named faculty fellow of the first online program for Penn State’s School of Visual arts and World Campus. I have additional teaching experience at the graduate level at the Cranbrook Academy of Art (as a visiting artist in  residence sabbatical replacement) in the Department of Print and Media Arts, along with teaching in the Print Media and Lab at the California Institute of Arts—Community Arts Partnership, and Multimedia Program at the College of the Canyons, Valencia, CA.