Statement

My work blends fragments of worthy but unwanted things into sculptures that tenderly and humorously reflect on the complex nature of being human. I choose clashing surfaces and textures from found objects -woven, gauzy, reflective, plasticky, furry, sharp, gaudy and antique- and synthesize them into fluid configurations and vibrant micro-environments that connect to memory, relationships, and a desire to mend.

The forms I assemble combine inner desires with external realities. Some are overwhelmed with many dense layers of material information and become inextricably entangled. Some appear to be constrained by outside forces, but respond with new growth patterns. Some are engaged in a self-soothing embrace that also isolates and self-smothers. Others are whimsical clusters that resemble macroscopic views of airborne particulates, microbes, or perhaps, subliminal ideas we have inherited or internalized. Occasionally, the formations are more architectural and suggest ancient relics or makeshift shrines that reflect my innate desire for the sacred in place of performative rituals. Within every form, I meticulously create an associative space to get lost in, to discover something familiar, and something new.

Having survived a chaotic and confusing childhood, I am always looking for things out of place and covert clues for meaning in my surroundings. So, it seems natural that my materials most often are familiar domestic objects that I find on the curb in walks through my neighborhood. I adopt these orphans and introduce them into a dreamy underworld of material subtext.

In that world, I use meticulous and meditative processes of wrapping, sewing, and interweaving of materials as a deliberate act of attention and insistent effort. These hands-on, labor intensive acts incorporate once-sentimental things like holiday decorations, stuffed animals, handmade afghans, and old sweaters with everyday functional things like toothpicks, buttons, sponges, and window screen, acknowledging the intricacies, but especially, the various similarities between our lives and the need to treat one another with care.