ABOUT THE ARTIST

“I see all the work I produce or participate in, such as design—paintings, graphics, environmental work, historical and social understanding, etc. I see my role as a designer to be that of a translator. Translating ideas, emotions, or scientific knowledge from one form of communication to another. It is my job, as a designer, to intimately speak both languages at hand. Knowing where there isn’t adequate mutual meaning and where there is so much similarity is uncanny, undeniably sharing derivatives. My portfolio is widespread, no denying that, but viewing my role as a facilitator for understanding has given me a common thread to pull through my work. Whether it is translating emotions through painting or ecological function through drawings in landscape design, the challenge at hand is bridging gaps of understanding. I find so much joy and fulfillment in my design work, facilitating knowledge through mediums that feel natural to my understanding of the world.”

Dora’s world outside design is characterized by time spent outside with her friends, family, and chocolate lab Maggie. She states, “Too early mornings skinning up local mountains with the glowy sunrise ski down, lazy summer afternoons spent at swimming holes with my best friend’s laugh echoing in the background, strolling through new cities where foreign language allows the world to feel expansive. These are the things that keep my gears turning!”

Dora works hard to maintain a healthy work-life balance. She sees work and play as mutually beneficial—motivation fuels motivation, generating symbiosis—and therefore values this time immensely.